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1
- #1
Skogsgurra
Electrical
- Mar 31, 2003
- 11,815
There are sometimes minutes of pure joy and beauty. Not so often in engineering - but they do occur. Like yesterday.
We live in a very mineral rich part of the World, the Bergslagen in Sweden. Not far from us, to the west, is the Långban mine. One of the mineral-richest mines in the World. If not the richest. And, not far from us, to the east, is Köping where Willhelm Scheele made the initial discoveries of Silicon (#14), which later were taken further by Jöns Jacob Berzelius. So Bergslagen was actually some kind of a Silicon valley - about two hundred years ago.
I have seen Silicon slabs and wafers. Of course. Fascinating things. But when I visited the annual mineral fair in Kopparberg and saw a piece of metal-looking stuff, greyish/bluish and surprisingly light-weight, I had to ask what the heck is this? "Kisel" said the mineral trader. Kisel is Swedish for Silicon.
I HAD TO buy it! And now I HAVE IT!
Second thought: Wiki says "silicon very rarely occurs as the pure element in the Earth's crust". So, have I been had? Is it a piece of alloying silicon I have bought? There are traces of a white (quartz-like) rock on the bottom of the piece. Not surprising as it is an silicon oxide, but is that part of the Earth's crust or something that you get when alloying silicon is produced?
Anyhow, it is a fascinating piece of rock. And mineral fairs are fun!
Gunnar Englund
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Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
We live in a very mineral rich part of the World, the Bergslagen in Sweden. Not far from us, to the west, is the Långban mine. One of the mineral-richest mines in the World. If not the richest. And, not far from us, to the east, is Köping where Willhelm Scheele made the initial discoveries of Silicon (#14), which later were taken further by Jöns Jacob Berzelius. So Bergslagen was actually some kind of a Silicon valley - about two hundred years ago.
I have seen Silicon slabs and wafers. Of course. Fascinating things. But when I visited the annual mineral fair in Kopparberg and saw a piece of metal-looking stuff, greyish/bluish and surprisingly light-weight, I had to ask what the heck is this? "Kisel" said the mineral trader. Kisel is Swedish for Silicon.
I HAD TO buy it! And now I HAVE IT!
Second thought: Wiki says "silicon very rarely occurs as the pure element in the Earth's crust". So, have I been had? Is it a piece of alloying silicon I have bought? There are traces of a white (quartz-like) rock on the bottom of the piece. Not surprising as it is an silicon oxide, but is that part of the Earth's crust or something that you get when alloying silicon is produced?
Anyhow, it is a fascinating piece of rock. And mineral fairs are fun!
Gunnar Englund
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
