Common electron configuration as s 2, p 2.
Silicon dioxide contains only silicon and oxygen-no carbon., The only carbon in a sample labelled  silicon dioxide, would be an impurity or contaminant probably on t … he surface. - Carbon is a nonmetal, and silicon is a metalloid. - Carbon and silicon have the same common electron configuration as s 2, p 2. But in silicon, the electrons are spread into the 3rd energy level, whereas in carbon it is only to the 2nd energy level. This difference occurs because of carbon in the 2nd period, but silicon in the 3rd. The carbon family consists of the five elements that make up Group 14 of the periodic table: carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, and lead. The family is particularly interesting because it consists of one nonmetal (carbon), two metals (tin and lead), and two metalloids (silicon and germanium). Silicon is a member of Group 14 (IVA) in the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to one another. Silicon is also part of the the carbon family. This page takes a brief look at the oxides of carbon, silicon, germanium, tin and lead. It concentrates on the structural differences between carbon dioxide and silicon dioxide, and on the trends in acid-base behaviour of the oxides as you go down Group 4. Silicon vs Carbon. Carbon and silicon, both are in the same group (group 14) of the periodic table. Hence, they have four electrons in the outer energy level. They occur in two oxidation states, +2 and +4. And both exist as giant molecular lattices. Other than silicon dioxide, the most common forms of silicon in nature are silicates, compounds that contain silicon, oxygen, and other elements such as magnesium, aluminum, calcium, and phosphorus.
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_does_silicon_and_carbon_have_in_common http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-silicon-and-vs-carbon/ http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ca-Ch/Carbon-Family.html http://www.chemistryexplained.com/elements/P-T/Silicon.html http://chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/group4/oxides.html http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-silicon-and-vs-carbon/ http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ca-Ch/Carbon-Family.html
what does carbon and silicon have in common