Silicon is a very useful, but also very harmful element. Found in Group 14A, it is one of the most abundant elements in the Earth's crust. "Silicon is a metalloid, which is one of only a few elements that have characteristics of both metals and non-metals" (Newton). "Another characteristic of silicon is that it is a semiconductor, which is a substance that conducts an electric current better than a non-conductor, but not as well as a conductor. Semiconductors usually have important applications in the electronics industry" (Newton). This explains silicon's involvement in the production of computer chips. Silicon is a solid at standard conditions. It exists in two allotropic forms. Allotropes are forms of an element with different physical and chemical properties. "One of these is in the form of shiny, grayish black, needle-like crystals, or flat plates. The second allotrope has no crystal structure and usually occurs...