Silicon

In its impure forms, silicon (Si) is the eighth most common element in the universe by mass and makes up more than a quarter of the Earth's crust by mass; it is the second most abundant chemical element on Earth after oxygen. Our earliest human ancestors used silica flints for tools and this startling element remains to date among the most expedient to humankind. Silicon compounds are used extensively in the making of alloys, dynamo and transformer plates, cosmetics and hair conditioners, solar cells, waterproof sealants, and, perhaps most famously, semiconductors, which are key in the computer and microelectronics industries. When William Shockley, the creator of the transistor, moved from New Jersey to Mountain View, California, in 1956, very few people would have anticipated the surrounding area would soon be named after the unassuming and ubiquitous element.