Is silicon flammable?

Why can't silicon exist in an oxygen enviroment? Malerie 10/07/99

	Vocabulary
	congener

Silicon, like its congener, carbon, is fairly inert. Like carbon, silicon will burn vigorously in oxygen if ignited to produce silica:

Si(s) + O₂(g) = SiO₂(s)

Silicon ignites if heated to temperatures around 1000°C. But saying that silicon can't exist in an oxygen environment is like saying a charcoal briquet can't exist in air.

Burning silicon releases about 860 kJ of heat per mole, compared to 394 kJ per mole for burning carbon, so a silicon fire could potentially burn quite a bit hotter than a carbon fire.

Author: Fred Senese senese@antoine.frostburg.edu

General Chemistry Online! Is silicon flammable?