Silicon - one of the most widespread elements on Earth. This nonmetal most often meets in the form of steady connections. Unique chemical properties allow to use silicon in science, the equipment and life.
As extract silicon
Silicon - chemical element, the second in prevalence on Earth (after oxygen). It seldom meets in pure form - crystals, it is possible to see it as a part of various connections and minerals much more often - spar, flint, quartz sand. For release of pure silicon the chemists carry out reaction of quartz sand with magnesium. Also silicon is melted at high temperatures and even "grown up". Chokhralsky's method allows to use pressure, temperature and compounds of silicon for receiving crystals of pure substance.
Life
Compounds of silicon are actively used in life and economy of the person, in the industry. Quartz sand is used when receiving glass and cement. The silicate industry is called so in honor of silicon, "the second name" of which "силициум". Silicates are used in agriculture, at soil fertilizer. Also on the basis of silicon connections receive silicate glue.
Radio electronics
Silicon has unique radio-electronic properties. Pure silicon is the semiconductor. It means that it can carry current under certain conditions when the zone of conductivity is small. If the area of conductivity is big, silicon semiconductor turns into silicon insulator. Semiconductor properties of nonmetal of silicon led to creation of the transistor. The transistor - the device allowing to control tension and current. Unlike linear conductors, transistors from silicon have three basic elements - the collector "collecting" the current, base and the emitter, current strengthening. Emergence of the transistor caused "an electronic boom", led to creation of the first computers and household appliances.
Computers
Progress of silicon in electronics did not remain unnoticed in the computer equipment. First processors wanted to do of "expensive" typical semiconductors, for example Germany. However its high price did not allow to put production of germanic payments on a stream. Then daredevils from IBM decided to risk and try as material for "heart" of a computer system silicon. Results did not keep themselves waiting. Silicon payments turned out rather cheap that it was especially important at the very beginning of origin of the computer industry when there was a lot of marriage and few potential buyers. Today silicon chips dominate in the computer industry. Crystals of pure silicon for processors and controllers learned to grow up in factory conditions, material is easy-to-work. And the main thing - silicon allowed to double quantity of elements on the processor each two years (Moore's law). Thus, on the silicon scheme of the same size there are more and more transistors and other logical elements. Silicon allowed to make information technologies the most effective.