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Compare Carbon vs Silicon

Comparing Carbon (C) and Silicon (Si). Atomic numbers 6 and 14 with atomic masses 12.01 u and 28.084 u, classified as nonmetal and metalloid. Below: a side-by-side comparison of their physical, atomic, electron-configuration and historical properties, including density, melting and boiling points, ionization energies, oxidation states and discovery history.

vs
C
Carbon
#6
Si
Silicon
#14

Periodic properties of the elements

CarbonSilicon
SymbolCSi
Atomic number614
Group1414
Period23
Blockpp
Element categoryNonmetalMetalloid

Physical properties

CarbonSilicon
Phase at STPSolidSolid
Density1.821 g/cm32.329 g/cm3
Atomic weight12.0096 u28.084 u
Melting point-1687 K
1413.85 °C
2576.93 °F
Boiling point-3538 K
3264.85 °C
5908.73 °F

Atomic properties

CarbonSilicon
Electronegativity (Pauling Scale)2.551.9
Electron affinity121.776 kJ/mol134.068 kJ/mol
Oxidation states−4, −3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4
(a mildly acidic oxide)		−4, −3, −2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4
(an amphoteric oxide)
Ionization energies
  1. 1086.5 kJ/mol
  2. 2352.6 kJ/mol
  3. 4620.5 kJ/mol
  4. 6222.7 kJ/mol
  5. 37831 kJ/mol
  6. 47277 kJ/mol
  1. 786.5 kJ/mol
  2. 1577.1 kJ/mol
  3. 3231.6 kJ/mol
  4. 4355.5 kJ/mol
  5. 16091 kJ/mol
  6. 19805 kJ/mol
  7. 23780 kJ/mol
  8. 29287 kJ/mol
  9. 33878 kJ/mol
  10. 38726 kJ/mol
  11. 45962 kJ/mol
  12. 50502 kJ/mol
  13. 235196 kJ/mol
  14. 257923 kJ/mol

Electron configuration

CarbonSilicon
Shorthand configuration[He] 2s2 2p2 [Ne] 3s2 3p2
Full configuration1s2 2s2 2p2 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2
Electrons per shell2, 42, 8, 4

History

CarbonSilicon
PredictionAntoine Lavoisier (1787)
DiscoveryEgyptians and Sumerians (3750 BC)Jöns Jacob Berzelius (1823)
First isolationJöns Jacob Berzelius (1823)
Named byThomas Thomson (1817)
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