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... isolate/identify silicon in 1924. He began the reaction by heating (in a container with silica) potassium metal chips. The reaction below resulted: SiF4 + 4K --> 4KF + Si (silicon tetrafluoride + potassium --> potassium fluoride + silicon) The Si and KF mixture must be separated chemically. Potassium fluoride will react with water at room temperature, though silicon will not. KF + H2O <--->HF + KOH (potassium fluoride + water <---> hydrofluoric acid + potassium hydroxide) After this reaction, Berzelius was able to wash away all byproducts, and the pieces remaining were silicon.1 BACKGROUND The Group 14 ( or IV) consists of five elements, Silicon, Si is a nonmetallic chemical element in the carbon family of elements. Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust, surpassed only by oxygen. Silicon does not occur uncombined in nature. Its has four electrons in their valence shell with the configuration of ns2np2 Silicon was first isolated and described as ...