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The periodic table's close relative of carbon (C) is silicon (Si). Silicon is found everywhere in the Universe, but is not found by itself in nature. You will always find silicon bound to other elements, such as oxygen (O). The rocks with silicon and oxygen are called silicates. You're probably sitting in front of some silicon right now. It's in your computer!
Even though humans have been using silicon for thousands of years, it wasn't discovered officially until 1824 by a scientist named Berzelius. It was isolated and forced to form its first crystals in 1854. When purified, it is a metallic-looking, grayish crystal. While it might be shiny like a metal, it is not a metal. You will find silicon just below carbon in the third row (period) of the periodic table. Silicon has a similar makeup to carbon in the way its electrons are arranged.
