NEET 2012 Physics question

Not in JEE Advanced syllabus

C and Si both have same lattice structure, having bonding electrons in each. However, C is insulator where as Si is intrinsic semiconductor. This is because

(1)The four bonding electrons in the case of C lie in the third orbit, whereas for Si they lie in the fourth orbit
(2)In case of C the valance band is not completely filled at absolute zero temperature
(3)In case of C the conduction band is partly filled even at absolute zero temperature
(4)The four bonding electrons in the case of C lie in the second orbit, whereas in the case of Si they lie in the thirdCorrect

Answer: (4)

Solution

Carbon (Z = 6, ) has its four valence electrons in the second shell, while silicon (Z = 14, ) has them in the third shell. The electrons of carbon are closer to the nucleus and more tightly bound, so the energy gap between the valence and conduction band is large for diamond

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Question ID VK-091282