The electronic configuration of the silicon atom is: (Ne)(3s) 2 (3p) 2, and the atomic radius is 0.132 nm. Silicon has the diamond cubic crystal structure with a lattice parameter of 0.543 nm. The ...

A silicon atom has four electrons in its outer shell and bonds tightly with four surrounding silicon atoms creating a crystal matrix with eight electrons in the outer shells. However, phosphorus ...

Silica has a giant covalent structure containing silicon atoms (grey) and oxygen atoms (red) Learn more on properties of giant covalent compounds in this podcast. Listen to the full series on BBC ...