Due to the high chemical affinity of silicon for oxygen, it was not until 1823 that Swedish chemist Jons Jacob Berzerlius isolated silicon for the first time. He obtained the amorphous elemental silicon by heating the potassium metal and potassium fluorosilicate together in a crucible, and described it as an element.
In nature, it is difficult to see simple silicon, which is always with other friends. One of my best friends is oxygen. Small silicon is always oxidized with SiO2, so many beautiful and interesting things happen.
Colorful agate, sand on the coast, beautiful crystals, glittering opals, strange jasper, dense hard vermiculite, etc. These things are silica in nature or in composition. Variations of mineral crystals composed of natural silica have hundreds of names. In the eyes of geologists, silica may be quartz, vermiculite, gravel, sand, coesite, and so on. In front of those who love jewelry, it can be amethyst, opal, agate, gray chalcedony, jasper and so on.
There are many lively and interesting stories about silica. The Egyptians used quartz to make beads and vases. Ancient China used it to make delicate glassware. Polished crystals are used as crafts, such as crystal flutes displayed in the Vienna Art Museum, and Russian-style transparent kettles kept in the Moscow Armory Museum.
Vermiculite is dense and hard, and it was one of the earliest minerals used by ancient humans when they began to use tools. Our ancestors hammered it and intentionally made it into a spatula, awl, axe, etc., for obtaining food, felling trees, removing branches, and processing animal skins into clothes, tents, containers, etc. Hitting it with iron can produce sparks, which are used to catch fire in the wild. Of course, other rocks that are hard to produce sharp materials can also be used to make tools.
 In the 20th century, quartz triggered a revolution in timing. Swiss watch technology at the time had dominated for almost a century. Until 1969, Japan invented the first quartz watch-Seiko 35SQ Astron, using a battery-powered quartz crystal resonator, completely shaking the status of Swiss watches. But in 1983, the Swiss regained market share in the world by creating their own quartz watch brand, Swatch.
In addition to silicon dioxide, small silicon can also be combined with other metals to form silicates.
Silica and silicates are used in civil engineering projects, making concrete and cement, and making enamels, pottery, porcelain and other ceramic materials.
Silica can be used to make refractory materials for high temperature applications, such as quartz crucibles. It is softened by heating and made into glassware. Can be used as abrasives (such as quartz sand) as well as fibers made of glass or plastic and glass wool for thermal insulation.
Sodium silicate, often called water glass, is used to make soap, used for preservative treatment of wood, and used to preserve eggs.
Silicon carbide is an important abrasive and is also used in lasers.