Silicon is a non-metal element denoted by the atomic symbol, Si. It has an atomic number of 14 and the average atomic weight of its isotopes is 28.0855. Making up twenty-seven percent of the earth's crust, silicon is our second most abundant element; oxygen is first at forty-seven percent and aluminum is third at thirteen percent. Although silicon forms compounds with sixty-four other stable and many unstable elements, oxygen is its most frequent partner. It is believed that the thousands of compounds which include both elements make up nearly ninety-seven percent of earth's crust.

Silicon's great abundance is reflected in its many thousands of uses, before and throughout recorded history. It is the primary element in flint, glass and microchips, making it an essential part of much technology from the stone age through the space age. Indeed, the name "silicon" was derived from silex, the Latin word for flint. Silicon...