Difference Between Silicon and Silicone

Silicon vs Silicone
 

Though silicon and silicone are seemed to be the same word at a glance, they are referred to completely different things.

Silicon

Silicon is the element with atomic number 14, and it is also in the group 14 of the periodic table just below carbon. It is shown by the symbol Si.  Its electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p². Silicon can remove four electrons and form a +4 charged cation, or it can share these electrons to form four covalent bonds. Silicon is characterized as a metalloid because it has both metal and nonmetal properties. Silicon is a hard and inert metalloid solid. Melting point of silicon is 1414 ^oC, and the boiling point is 3265 ^oC. Crystal like silicon is very brittle. It exists very rarely as pure silicon in nature. Mainly, it occurs as the oxide or silicate. Since the silicon is protected with an outer oxide layer, it is less susceptible to chemical reactions.  High temperatures are needed for it to oxidize. In contrast, silicon reacts with fluorine at room temperature. Silicon does not react with acids but reacts with concentrated alkalis.

There are many industrial uses of silicon. Silicon is a semiconductor, therefore, used in computers and electronic devices.  Silicon compounds like silica or silicates are widely used in ceramic, glass and cement industries.

Silicone

Silicone is a polymer. It has the element silicon mixed with other elements like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, etc. It has the molecular formula of [R₂SiO]_n. Here, the R group can be methyl, ethyl or phenyl. These groups are attached to silicon atom, which is in the +4 oxidation state and, from both sides oxygen atoms are linked to silicon forming a Si-O-Si backbone. So silicone can be also called as polymerized siloxanes or polysiloxanes. Depending on the composition and the properties, silicone can have different morphologies. They can be liquid, gel, rubber or hard plastic. There  is silicone oil, silicone rubber, silicone resin and silicone grease. Silicone is produced from silica, which is in the sand. Silicones have very useful properties like low thermal conductivity, low chemical reactivity, low toxicity, resistant to microbiological growth, thermal stability, ability to repel water, etc. Silicone is used to make water tight containers in aquariums. And also due to its water repellent ability it is used to make joints to prevent water leaks. Since it can tolerate high heat, it is used as an automobile lubricant. It is further used as a dry cleaning solvent, as a cookware coating, in electronic casings, flame retardants, etc. Moreover, it is used in cosmetic surgery. Since silicone is non toxic, it is used to create artificial body parts like breaks to implant inside. Mostly silicone gels are used for this purpose. Most cosmetic products are produced with silicone these days. Shampoos, shaving gels, hair conditioners, hair oil, and gels are some of the silicone containing products.