Silicon carbide

"Carborundum" redirects here. Not to be confused with Corundum.

Silicon carbide
Sample of silicon carbide as a boule
A laboratory-grown synthetic SiC monocrystal
Names
IUPAC name
Methanidylidynesilanylium
Preferred IUPAC name
Silicon carbide
Other names
Carborundum
Moissanite
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.006.357 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 206-991-8
13642
MeSH Silicon+carbide
RTECS number
  • VW0450000
UNII
  • InChI=1S/CSi/c1-2 checkY
    Key: HBMJWWWQQXIZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • Key: HBMJWWWQQXIZIP-UHFFFAOYAF
  • InChI=1/CSi/c1-2
  • [C-]#[Si+]
Properties
SiC
Molar mass 40.096 g/mol
Appearance Yellow to green to bluish-black, iridescent crystals[1]
Density 3.16 g⋅cm-3 (hex.)[2]
Melting point 2,830 °C (5,130 °F; 3,100 K)[2] (decomposes)
Solubility Insoluble in water, soluble in molten alkalis and molten iron[3]
Electron mobility ~900 cm2/(V⋅s) (all polytypes)
−12.8 × 10−6 cm3/mol[4]
2.55 (infrared; all polytypes)[5]
Hazards
GHS labelling:fibres[6]
GHS08: Health hazard
Danger
H350i
P201, P202, P260, P261, P264, P270, P271, P280, P281, P302+P352, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P308+P313, P312, P314, P321, P332+P313, P337+P313, P362, P403+P233, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 1: Exposure would cause irritation but only minor residual injury. E.g. turpentineFlammability 0: Will not burn. E.g. waterInstability 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogenSpecial hazards (white): no code
1
0
0
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
PEL (Permissible)
 TWA 15 mg/m3 (total) TWA 5 mg/m3 (resp)[1]
REL (Recommended)
 TWA 10 mg/m3 (total) TWA 5 mg/m3 (resp)[1]
IDLH (Immediate danger)
 N.D.[1]
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum (/ˌkɑːrbəˈrʌndəm/), is a hard chemical compound containing silicon and carbon. A wide bandgap semiconductor, it occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite, but has been mass-produced as a powder and crystal since 1893 for use as an abrasive. Grains of silicon carbide can be bonded together by sintering to form very hard ceramics that are widely used in applications requiring high endurance, such as car brakes, car clutches and ceramic plates in bulletproof vests. Large single crystals of silicon carbide can be grown by the Lely method and they can be cut into gems known as synthetic moissanite.

Electronic applications of silicon carbide such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and detectors in early radios were first demonstrated around 1907. SiC is used in semiconductor electronics devices that operate at high temperatures or high voltages, or both.

  1. ^ a b c d NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0555". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
  2. ^ a b Haynes, William M., ed. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (92nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 4.88. ISBN 1-4398-5511-0.
  3. ^ Pubchem. "Silicon carbide". pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  4. ^ Haynes, William M., ed. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (92nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 4.135. ISBN 1-4398-5511-0.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ioffe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "C&L Inventory". echa.europa.eu. Retrieved 12 December 2021.