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Silicon

Element 14 · Metalloid

Specimen

Atomic number
14
Atomic mass
28.085
State at room temperature
Solid
Melting point
1,414 °C
Boiling point
3,265 °C
Density
2.33 g/cm³
Discovered
1854

Atomic mass from IUPAC.1 Other physical data from PubChem.2

Can I eat it?

In food and water
Allowed in food. The EU allows silicon dioxide (silica) as food additive E 551. In their reference intakes, US and Canadian experts state that silicon has not been shown to harm people. They also see no reason to add silicon to supplements. 34

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The atom

Si
ShellElectrons
1 (K) 2
2 (L) 8
3 (M) outermost 4
Total14

Configuration [Ne] 3s² 3p²

3s ↑ ↓
3p ↑ ↑
A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 14 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Ne core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Group 14
C Carbon Ge Germanium Sn Tin Pb Lead Fl Flerovium

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Sources

  1. 1

    IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW), 2024. Abridged Standard Atomic Weights 2024 .

    The atomic mass shown for the 84 elements that have a standard atomic weight.

  2. 2

    National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

    Electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.

  3. 3

    European Commission, 2011. Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 establishing a Union list of food additives , Annex, Parts B and E.

    The text as adopted by the EU in 2011, from legislation.gov.uk. Later EU amendments are not in it.

    • E 551 Silicon dioxide
  4. 4

    Health Canada, from the Institute of Medicine (US) Dietary Reference Intakes reports, 2010. Dietary Reference Intakes tables (Institute of Medicine values), updated November 2010 , Reference Values for Elements, footnotes 20 to 27.

    The joint US and Canadian reference intakes. The values are from the Institute of Medicine reports of 1997 to 2004 and 2010.

    • Although silicon has not been shown to cause adverse effects in humans, there is no justification for adding silicon to supplements.
  5. 5

    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 2026. Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions for All Elements .

    Isotopic composition of each element; the most abundant isotope sets the neutron count in the nucleus view.