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The mineralogy of Silicon

General Properties
Symbol:Si
Atomic Number:14
Standard atomic weight (Ar):28.0855(3)
Electron configuration:[Ne] 3s2 3p2
Photos
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Ultrapure silicon chunks
>
Atomic Properties
Electronegativity (Pauling scale):1.9
Atomic Radius:111 pm
Ionic Radius:40 pm (+4)
Van der Waals Radius:210 pm
1st Ionization energy:787 kJ/mol
1st Electron affinity:-134 kJ/mol
Oxidation States:-4,-3,-2,-1,1,2,3,4
Physical Properties
Standard State:solid
Bonding Type:metallic
Melting Point:1687 K
Boiling Point:3173 K
Density:2.33 g/cm3
Metal/Non-Metal:metalloid
Main isotopes of Silicon
Isotope% in NatureHalf LifeDecay typeDecay product
28Si92.23%stable
29Si4.67%stable
30Si3.1%stable
32Sitrace153yβ−32P
Other Information
Year Discovered:1854
Discovered By:
06064690017362062967046.jpg
Jacob Berzelius
Year Predicted:1787
Named For:From the Latin silex, silicis for flint.
CPK color coding:#F0C8A0
External Links:WikipediaWebElementsLos Alamos National LaboratoryTheodore Gray's PeriodicTable.com
Simple Compounds and Mineral Names
Nitridestrisilicon tetranitrideSi3N4+4Nierite
Sulfidessilicon sulphideSiS2+4
HydridessilaneSiH4+4
disilicon hexahydrideSi2H6+3
Fluoridessilicon tetrafluorideSiF4+4
Chloridessilicon tetrachlorideSiCl4+4
Iodidessilicon tetraiodideSiI4+4
Oxidessilicon oxideSiO2+4Quartz, Coesite, Cristobalite, Mogánite, Seifertite, Stishovite, Tridymite
Mineral Diversity of Silicon
1. Elements 22 valid mineral species
2. Sulfides And Sulfosalts 1 valid mineral species
3. Halides9 valid mineral species
4. Oxides 22 valid mineral species
5. Carbonates 3 valid mineral species
6. Borates5 valid mineral species
7. Sulfates 14 valid mineral species
8. Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates19 valid mineral species
9. Silicates 1600 valid mineral species
Total:1695 valid species containing essential Silicon
Minerals with the greatest weight % of Silicon
SiliconSi100.00 %
MoissaniteSiC70.05 %
LuanshiweiiteKLiAl1.5(Si3.5Al0.5)O10(OH)261.21 %
FluorluanshiweiiteKLiAl1.5(Si3.5Al0.5)O10F260.85 %
NieriteSi3N460.06 %
SinoiteSi2N2O56.07 %
LuobusaiteFe0.84Si254.49 %
ZhiqiniteTiSi253.99 %
LinzhiiteFeSi250.15 %
XiexiandeiteSiO246.74 %
Geochemistry of Silicon
Goldschmidt classification:Lithophile
Si4+ was one of the ions least depleted from the mantle in the formation of the crust.
Si4+ enters early-forming phases in igneous rocks.
Si4+ is commonly concentrated in residual soils and sediments.
Si4+ is one of the eight most abundant solutes in average river water.
Si4+ solute can be a limiting nutrient in the oceans.
Si4+ is essential to nutrition of at least some vertebrates ('essential minerals').
Elemental Silicon in Nature
Found as native element:SiliconSi
Elemental Abundance for Silicon
Crust (CRC Handbook)2.82 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Kaye & Laby)2.7 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Greenwood)2.72000 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Taylor)2.677 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Wänke)2.81 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Crust (Ahrens/Weaver)2.95 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Upper Crust (Ahrens/Taylor)3.08 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Upper Crust (Ahrens/Shaw)3.04 x 10-1mass fraction, kg/kg
Sea Water (CRC Handbook)2.2 x 10-6mass per volume fraction, kg/L
Sea Water (Kaye & Laby)2.9 x 10-6mass per volume fraction, kg/L
The Sun (Kaye & Laby)1.0 x 100atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Kaye & Laby)1.0 x 100atom mole fraction relative to Si=1
Solar System (Ahrens)1.0 x 100 (4.4%)atom mole fraction relative to Si=1 (% uncertainty)
Element association of Silicon in the Mineral World
This table compares the known valid mineral species listed listed with Silicon and the other elements listed based on the official IMA formula. Note that unlike other sections on this page this includes non-essential elements.

The first data column contains the total number of minerals listed with Silicon and the element listed for that row.

The second data column lists this number as a percentage of all minerals listed with Silicon.

The final data column compares this percentage against the percentage of all minerals that contain the element listed in each row.

Click on a heading to sort.
ElementValid Minerals listed with element and Silicon% of Si mineralsRelative to % in all minerals
Oxygen1675 minerals with Si and O98.36%21.49% higher
Hydrogen1108 minerals with Si and H65.06%16.48% higher
Calcium759 minerals with Si and Ca44.57%78.33% higher
Aluminium659 minerals with Si and Al38.70%93.20% higher
Sodium623 minerals with Si and Na36.58%94.62% higher
Iron433 minerals with Si and Fe25.43%13.11% higher
Magnesium337 minerals with Si and Mg19.79%47.72% higher
Potassium333 minerals with Si and K19.55%96.69% higher
Manganese312 minerals with Si and Mn18.32%57.33% higher
Titanium256 minerals with Si and Ti15.03%116.06% higher
Fluorine237 minerals with Si and F13.92%75.48% higher
Barium156 minerals with Si and Ba9.16%96.12% higher
Boron135 minerals with Si and B7.93%56.66% higher
Zirconium108 minerals with Si and Zr6.34%162.44% higher
Chlorine100 minerals with Si and Cl5.87%20.77% lower
Cerium100 minerals with Si and Ce5.87%90.56% higher
Niobium89 minerals with Si and Nb5.23%74.18% higher
Lithium88 minerals with Si and Li5.17%159.04% higher
Beryllium80 minerals with Si and Be4.70%114.56% higher
Strontium75 minerals with Si and Sr4.40%56.97% higher
Carbon70 minerals with Si and C4.11%49.41% lower
Sulfur69 minerals with Si and S4.05%81.66% lower
Yttrium63 minerals with Si and Y3.70%60.64% higher
Zinc56 minerals with Si and Zn3.29%41.90% lower
Lead55 minerals with Si and Pb3.23%70.01% lower
Vanadium50 minerals with Si and V2.94%39.05% lower
Phosphorus46 minerals with Si and P2.70%78.00% lower
Copper41 minerals with Si and Cu2.41%82.22% lower
Lanthanum37 minerals with Si and La2.17%61.40% higher
Arsenic29 minerals with Si and As1.70%86.84% lower
Uranium24 minerals with Si and U1.41%72.50% lower
Chromium19 minerals with Si and Cr1.12%39.12% lower
Thorium18 minerals with Si and Th1.06%67.11% higher
Caesium17 minerals with Si and Cs1.00%92.35% higher
Neodymium15 minerals with Si and Nd0.88%2.47% higher
Tin15 minerals with Si and Sn0.88%51.94% lower
Scandium13 minerals with Si and Sc0.76%88.27% higher
Nitrogen12 minerals with Si and N0.70%72.50% lower
Nickel11 minerals with Si and Ni0.65%81.03% lower
Antimony8 minerals with Si and Sb0.47%91.75% lower
Tungsten6 minerals with Si and W0.35%61.21% lower
Ytterbium4 minerals with Si and Yb0.23%141.38% higher
Bismuth3 minerals with Si and Bi0.18%95.77% lower
Rubidium2 minerals with Si and Rb0.12%44.83% higher
Molybdenum2 minerals with Si and Mo0.12%92.38% lower
Tantalum2 minerals with Si and Ta0.12%89.66% lower
Cobalt1 mineral with Si and Co0.06%95.24% lower
Germanium1 mineral with Si and Ge0.06%91.58% lower
Selenium1 mineral with Si and Se0.06%97.81% lower
Palladium1 mineral with Si and Pd0.06%95.84% lower
Praseodymium1 mineral with Si and Pr0.06%262.07% higher
Gadolinium1 mineral with Si and Gd0.06%39.66% lower
Dysprosium1 mineral with Si and Dy0.06%20.69% higher
Erbium1 mineral with Si and Er0.06%262.07% higher
Hafnium1 mineral with Si and Hf0.06%262.07% higher
Mercury1 mineral with Si and Hg0.06%96.74% lower
Tellurium1 mineral with Si and Te0.06%98.33% lower
Samarium1 mineral with Si and Sm0.06%39.66% lower
Periodic Table
1H 2He
3Li 4Be 5B 6C 7N 8O 9F 10Ne
11Na 12Mg 13Al 14Si 15P 16S 17Cl 18Ar
19K 20Ca 21Sc 22Ti 23V 24Cr 25Mn 26Fe 27Co 28Ni 29Cu 30Zn 31Ga 32Ge 33As 34Se 35Br 36Kr
37Rb 38Sr 39Y 40Zr 41Nb 42Mo 43Tc 44Ru 45Rh 46Pd 47Ag 48Cd 49In 50Sn 51Sb 52Te 53I 54Xe
55Cs 56Ba 57La 72Hf 73Ta 74W 75Re 76Os 77Ir 78Pt 79Au 80Hg 81Tl 82Pb 83Bi 84Po 85At 86Rn
87Fr 88Ra 89Ac 104Rd 105Db 106Sg 107Bh 108Hs 109Mt 110Ds 111Rg 112Cn 113Nh 114Fl 115Mc 116Lv 117Ts 118Og
 
58Ce 59Pr 60Nd 61Pm 62Sm 63Eu 64Gd 65Tb 66Dy 67Ho 68Er 69Tm 70Yb 71Lu
90Th 91Pa 92U 93Np 94Pu 95Am 96Cm 97Bk 98Cf 99Es 100Fm 101Md 102No 103Lr
Default Categories CPK Electronegativity Atomic Radius Lowest Oxidation Highest Oxidation Crustal Abundance Goldschmidt Mineral Species Minerals with Si Relative Frequency
Aluminium << Silicon >> Phosphorus


Most widespread minerals containing Silicon
This list of minerals containing Silicon is built from the mindat.org locality database. This is based on the number of localities entered for mineral species and is therefore slanted towards minerals interesting to collectors with less coverage of common rock-forming-minerals so it does not give an undistorted distribution of Silicon mineral species. It is more useful when comparing rare species rather than common species.
NameFormulaCrystal SystemMindat Localities
QuartzSiO2Trigonal76924
MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2Monoclinic22416
AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)Triclinic12162
Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)Monoclinic10728
ZirconZr(SiO4)Tetragonal8241
TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)OMonoclinic7055
KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4Triclinic6975
MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)Triclinic6342
DiopsideCaMgSi2O6Monoclinic5669
BerylBe3Al2(Si6O18)Hexagonal5163
Photos
08158000017362788755590.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Sanming, Fujian, China
00605360017271925316286.jpg
Muscovite

Zé Pinto claim, Aldeia, Cuparaque, Minas Gerais, Brazil
08252210017271923213728.jpg
Albite

Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada
00533050017271922651699.jpg
Epidote

Green Monster Mountain, Prince of Wales Island, Ketchikan Mining District, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, USA
04359770017362787055885.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Sanming, Fujian, China
00605360017271925316286.jpg
Muscovite

Zé Pinto claim, Aldeia, Cuparaque, Minas Gerais, Brazil
08252210017271923213728.jpg
Albite

Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada
00533050017271922651699.jpg
Epidote

Green Monster Mountain, Prince of Wales Island, Ketchikan Mining District, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, USA
08158000017362788755590.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Sanming, Fujian, China
00605360017271925316286.jpg
Muscovite

Zé Pinto claim, Aldeia, Cuparaque, Minas Gerais, Brazil
04064060017271923319884.jpg
Albite

Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada
00533050017271922651699.jpg
Epidote

Green Monster Mountain, Prince of Wales Island, Ketchikan Mining District, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, USA

Localities with greatest number of different Silicon mineral species
1Poudrette quarry (De-Mix quarry; Demix quarry; Uni-Mix quarry; Carrière Mont Saint-Hilaire; MSH), Mont Saint-Hilaire, La Vallée-du-Richelieu RCM, Montérégie, Québec, Canada242 Si minerals
2Caspar quarry, Ettringen, Vordereifel, Mayen-Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany129 Si minerals
3Långban Mine, Långban Ore District, Filipstad, Värmland County, Sweden127 Si minerals
4Dara-i-Pioz Massif, Districts of Republican Subordination, Tajikistan118 Si minerals
Ilímaussaq complex, Kujalleq, Greenland112 Si minerals
Lovozero Massif, Murmansk Oblast, Russia103 Si minerals
7Franklin Mine, Franklin, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA102 Si minerals
Sakha, Russia95 Si minerals


Important ores of Silicon
High quality silica (quartz) is to produce silicon metal by reacting it with wood, charcoal and coal in an electric arc furnace at temperatures over 1,900 °C.

The reaction is: SiO2 + 2C -> Si + 2CO
NameFormulaCrystal System
QuartzSiO2Trigonal
Photos
04404780017272099854057.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
09430920017339893219750.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Homestake Mine, Lead, Lead Mining District, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA
03611580017272037319475.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
07740720017272037365766.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
04404780017272099854057.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
07567330017300386372082.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Homestake Mine, Lead, Lead Mining District, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA
00919060017364943091974.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
05658080017364943106364.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
04404780017272099854057.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
09430920017339893219750.jpg
Quartz, etc.

Homestake Mine, Lead, Lead Mining District, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA
03611580017272037319475.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
07740720017272037365766.jpg
Quartz

King of Prussia, Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
 
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To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
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