Silicone

EPL- INFORMATION FOR YOUR BUILDING SOUL

Silicone is not carbon-based — it is silicon-based.

Here’s the distinction:

Silicone is a synthetic polymer made up primarily of silicon (Si), oxygen (O), and sometimes other elements like carbon and hydrogen. The basic repeating unit in silicone polymers is often a siloxane bond (Si–O–Si).

Carbon-based compounds are classified as organic compounds, and they primarily consist of carbon atoms bonded to other carbon or hydrogen atoms.

In short:

Silicone = inorganic backbone (Si–O) with some organic (carbon-based) side groups.

Organic compounds = carbon backbone (C–C or C–H chains).

So, while silicone may contain carbon in its side groups, it is fundamentally a silicon-based compound, not carbon-based.

Great question — let’s go deeper.

At its chemical origin, silicone is not fundamentally carbon; it is derived from silicon (Si), which is a different element than carbon (C), although the two are chemically related.

Let’s clarify:

1. Silicon vs Carbon (Periodic Table)

Carbon (C) is atomic number 6.

Silicon (Si) is atomic number 14.

Both are in Group 14, so they share similar bonding behavior, but they are distinct elements.

2. Silicone's Raw Origin

Silicone is made from silicon, which is extracted from silica (SiO₂) — essentially sand or quartz.

This silica is processed industrially to isolate pure silicon, which is then combined with methyl chloride (a carbon-containing compound) to produce chlorosilanes, which are then polymerized into silicones (polysiloxanes).

So while carbon enters the picture during the process (especially in the organic side chains attached to the silicon-oxygen backbone), the core of silicone is silicon-based, not carbon-based.

In Summary:

Silicone's backbone: made of silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) → inorganic.

Some carbon atoms are attached in side chains (like methyl groups), but they do not make it a carbon-based material.

Therefore, silicone originates from silicon, not carbon.

It's a hybrid material — partly organic, partly inorganic — but not carbon-based at its core.