Silicone

Silicones, often confused with the natural element silicon, are synthetic rubber-like materials with a wide range of uses. To create silicone polymers, we start with silicon, which is abundant in the earth's crust. Silicon is extracted as powders through an electrochemical process. However, to transform this hard, crystalline metalloid into the supple silicones we know, we first produce chlorosilanes. These compounds are made by combining silicon powder and methyl chloride gas through an electrochemical process.