Hello everyone! My name is Silicon, but my close
friends call me the Little S for short. I am one of the most interesting elements there is
because I am the second most common element in the earth's crust, making up about one
fourth of it. Although people may tell you differently there is no other element in the
world that has the ability to look or feel like me. God made me unique and special in my
own way.
Some interesting information about me is my birthday is February 28, which is also the
same birthday as my close friend Lindsay Goodson. I was discovered in 1823 by a wonderful
man named Jons Berzelius, and since that day the world has never been the same because my
discovery has brought about a lot of change to people's lives. I am a lot of fun because
one mole of me describes three different things: number of particles, number of atoms, and
number of molecules. One mole of silicon is 6.02 x 10 23. Many people often ask me where I
am on the Periodic Table of Elements, and I just tell them I am the box with the atomic
number of 14 and labeled with the symbol of Si, which is the abbreviation for my name and
my street name. I am currently living in Concord, California at 28 Sidewalk Drive. Its
funny because not only does my symbol on the Periodic Table correspond to my name and
address, but my mass (28g) is also my house number. Funny how the world works. I say I am
currently living in California because I don't like to stay in one place for too long, and
because California is a little hot for me. I have to be careful of not being in the sun
for too long because of my boiling point (2355.0 C, 2628.15 K, 4271.0 F) and melting point
(1410.0 C, 1683.15 K, 2570.0 F), and because the sun can be very dangerous. I have 14
protons and 14 electrons, which is a pretty big number for such a little element. I am a
brown or gray semimetal, but I usually don't like telling people that because many people
associate gray with depression, sadness, and confusion, and I don't fit into any of those
descriptions. I am usually a warm, caring, fun-loving element that loves to party, be with
friends, help people out, and just have a great time.
When I was first discovered there weren't a lot of uses for me because many people
weren't aware of what I was capable of doing. Now people have discovered that I am useful
for many things that help make the world function the way it does. In the mid-20th century
scientists found ways to make pure chemical crystals of germanium and silicon. These
crystals have very valuable qualities because the crystals could conduct electricity,
making it possible to build tiny electronic devices such as pocket calculators and very
small television sets. Silicon crystals and other forms of silicon were found to be useful
for changing the sun's energy into badly needed electricity. Silicon is also the material
often used for making solid-state devices. Pure silicon is not a good conductor because it
has hardly any free electrons at ordinary temperatures, but it can be given extra free
electrons by adding to it small amounts of phosphorus. Silicon treated this way is called
a negative type, or n-type, semiconductor. By arranging various types of negative and
positive type semiconductors, devices such as resistors, capacitors, and transistors are
made. So basically, arranged with other elements, I am partly responsible for the
electricity that we often times take for granted. It's hard to imagine a world today
without the use of computers. Computers are a big part of people's everyday lives and
thanks to silicon, the world is able to enjoy the luxury of having computers. Not only am
I used in semiconductors, but I am also used in glass, joint prostheses, artificial heart
valves, and baby bottle nipples, and silicone breast implants. The term silicone refers to
a family of chemically related organic silicon compounds derived from silica (SiO2).
Silicone breast implants were developed in 1962 and are used mainly for cosmetic
augmentation and reconstruction after surgery for breast cancer. Silicone implants have
been associated with hardening (thought to be due in part to leakage), occasional rupture,
and enlargement of lymph nodes draining the implant site. To treat the doctors have found
removing the implants and increasing the activity of Natural Killer cells by medication
and diet are the only options. There are two prescription medications that have been shown
to increase Natural Killer cell activity: ranitidine hydrochloride, and cimetidine.
Just like everything on the earth, I too can give off illnesses. Silicon in the form of
silicone has symptoms associated with silicone disease. A few of those symptoms consist
of: suicidal depression, mental lapses, hearing loss, loss of sex drive, chronic
exhaustion, night sweats, insomnia, flu-like symptoms, memory loss, and arthritis.
I have told you many of the things I am good for, but those facts are only a small part
of who I am. The other side of me loves to hang out with friends, exercise, and have fun.
On weekends I love to relax by either going to the movies or by spending time hanging out
with my family and friends. My favorite food is rice and Starbursts. My favorite animal is
the panda bear. After graduating from high school I hope to go to a U.C college and major
in Bio-Chemistry. This field has a lot to offer and many interesting facts to discover!
I hope that after reading this you will finally see how important one small little
element can be and finally appreciate the wonderful every day things, like electricity,
that people often take for granted.
