# Silicon plus water is subjected to gamma radiation. What happens?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 23, 2016, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122 "2016-06-23T07:11:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Islandplaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/96bed5/32.png) [@Islandplaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Islandplaya)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122/1 "2016-06-23T07:11:40Z")

</div>

If there are any chemists here I’d also like to know how much silane is produced.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122/2 "2016-06-23T10:59:04Z")

</div>

In what form is the silicon, elemental? Is it in large chunks, or a fine powder?

Most likely, the answer is “absolutely nothing”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122/3 "2016-06-23T15:17:16Z")

</div>

> [@Chronos](#):
>
> In what form is the silicon, elemental? Is it in large chunks, or a fine powder?
> 
> Most likely, the answer is “absolutely nothing”.

Tell that to Flint Marko, a.k.a. Sandman.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122/4 "2016-06-23T16:55:12Z")

</div>

[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr\_lks8yw5Irw1qi97xgo1\_r1\_500.jpg](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lks8yw5Irw1qi97xgo1_r1_500.jpg) ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122/5 "2016-06-23T17:14:06Z")

</div>

I assume you’re trying to get the water to disassociate into H[sup]+[/sup] and O[sup]-2[/sup] and then react with a freed Si[sup]-4[/sup] to create SiH[sub]4[/sub].

You’d be better off putting the silicon into a hydrogen atmosphere and hoping to break a Si-Si bond. Otherwise the oxygen in your water bath reaction is going create SiO[sub]2[/sub] far more often than any SI-H reaction.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122/6 "2016-06-23T18:46:46Z")

</div>

I don’t know but Fox and Disney are arguing over the film rights.