VPT- Silicon: Long Live Rock! Mystery Cache
VPT- Silicon: Long Live Rock!
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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About the Element:
SILICON (Si)
Atomic Number: 14
Atomic Weight: 28.0855
Melting Point: 1687 K (1414°C or 2577°F)
Boiling Point: 3538 K (3265°C or 5909°F)
Density: 2.3296 grams per cubic centimeter
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid
Element Classification: Semi-metal
Period Number: 3 Group Number: 14
Silicon was discovered by Jöns Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, in 1824 by heating chips of potassium in a silica container and then carefully washing away the residual by-products. Silicon is the seventh most abundant element in the universe and the second most abundant element in the earth's crust. Today, silicon is produced by heating sand (SiO2) with carbon to temperatures approaching 2200°C.
Two allotropes of silicon exist at room temperature: amorphous and crystalline. Amorphous silicon appears as a brown powder while crystalline silicon has a metallic luster and a grayish color. Single crystals of crystalline silicon can be grown with the Czochralski process. These crystals, when doped with elements such as boron, gallium, germanium, phosphorus or arsenic, are used in the manufacture of solid-state electronic devices, such as transistors, solar cells, rectifiers and microchips.
Silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon's most common compound, is the most abundant compound in the earth's crust. It commonly takes the form of ordinary sand, but also exists as quartz, rock crystal, amethyst, agate, flint, jasper and opal. Silicon dioxide is extensively used in the manufacture of glass and bricks. Silica gel, a colloidal form of silicon dioxide, easily absorbs moisture and is used as a desiccant.
Silicon forms other useful compounds. Silicon carbide (SiC) is nearly as hard as diamond and is used as an abrasive. Sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), also known as water glass, is used in the production of soaps, adhesives and as an egg preservative. Silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) is used to create smoke screens. Silicon is also an important ingredient in silicone, a class of material that is used for such things as lubricants, polishing agents, electrical insulators and, (ahem), medical implants. (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility - Office of Science Education)
This is my first Unknown Cache. It's a pretty lame puzzle by local standards, but the upside is that we mere mortals will be able to solve it without calling in an NSA cryptographer. A search engine (or a good memory) and straight alphanumeric substitution: can't be simpler than that! Here ya go:
Carbon is the basis of organic life. Theoretically, silicon has similar bonding chemistry to that of carbon, and like carbon can combine with a variety of elements to form the wide range of macromolecules required to sustain biological processes. Somewhere in the universe, then, might silicon-based life exist? According to a classic episode of a late '60's TV series, the answer is yes! In that episode:
What did the silicon-based creature call itself? Convert letters to numbers, using "ones" digits only, to yield a number, X.
North Coordinate = 44 [X - 58394]
West Coordinate = 73 [X - 73175]
Please park legally on local streets and make your way to the posted coordinates to begin your short walk to the cache. The "private drive" belongs to the Burlington School Department; please follow the path on the south side of the fence.
Additional Hints
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Treasures
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