Table of Contents
- 1 How is silicon similar and different from carbon making it a possible source of life?
- 2 Why would silicon be the most likely alternative to carbon based life?
- 3 What are the similarities between carbon and silicon?
- 4 Can life be based on silicon?
- 5 What does carbon and silicon have similar properties?
- 6 Why is carbon-based life possible but not silicon-based?
- 7 Can a silicon-based life form release energy?
How is silicon similar and different from carbon making it a possible source of life?
And instead of relying on carbon to create the molecules of life, perhaps aliens could use silicon. Carbon and silicon are chemically very similar in that silicon atoms can also each form bonds with up to four other atoms simultaneously. Moreover, silicon is one of the most common elements in the universe.
Why would silicon be the most likely alternative to carbon based life?
In the case of silicon, the silicon–oxygen bond—the first bond—is so strong that it’s very hard to break them apart. This makes the ease and versatility of silicon chemical interactions far lower than the ones involving carbon. This is the reason why carbon is the basis of life and not silicon.
What are the similarities between carbon and silicon?
Both carbon and silicon are members of the IVA family on the periodic table. Both carbon and silicon are non-metals. Silicon is only a little bit more metallic than carbon because it loses its electrons a little more easily. They both have a valence of 4.
Are there life forms other than carbon based?
The kinds of living organisms currently known on Earth all use carbon compounds for basic structural and metabolic functions, water as a solvent, and DNA or RNA to define and control their form. The element silicon has been much discussed as a hypothetical alternative to carbon.
Why are we carbon based lifeforms?
It would be impossible for life on earth to exist without carbon. Carbon is the main component of sugars, proteins, fats, DNA, muscle tissue, pretty much everything in your body. The reason carbon is so special is down to the electron configuration of the individual atoms.
Can life be based on silicon?
So, the answer, at least for now, is no – although silicon can sometimes be used biologically as a sort of structural support (and there are some examples claiming silicon as an essential trace element) for carbon-based life – silicon-based life itself does not exist, as far as we know, because of the chemical and …
What does carbon and silicon have similar properties?
Both carbon and silicon commonly form compounds, easily sharing electrons with other elements. Carbon will make multiple bonds with other carbon molecules by forming single, double and triple covalent bonds. Carbon and silicon are often combined, with carbon serving as silicon’s backbone.
Why is carbon-based life possible but not silicon-based?
This property is seen even in silicon, but silicon has three energy levels, unlike carbon (which has two). Therefore it tends to make larger and weaker bonds than carbon. But the most important factor for carbon-based life is carbon’s ability to make double bonds, with other elements and also with similar carbon atoms.
Could silicon be the basis for alien life forms?
Silicon can grow into a number of lifelike structures, but its chemistry makes it unlikely that it could be the basis for alien life-forms. Indeed, carbon and silicon share many characteristics. Each has a so-called valence of four–meaning that individual atoms make four bonds with other elements in forming chemical compounds.
Is silicon-based life more than science fiction?
Silicon-Based Life May Be More Than Just Science Fiction. Scientists are showing that nature can evolve to incorporate silicon into carbon-based molecules — the building blocks of life on Earth. Artist rendering of organosilicon-based life. Recent research shows, for the first time, that bacteria can create organosilicon compounds.
Can a silicon-based life form release energy?
However, the overall summary of all this is that energy-release from a hypothetical silicon-based life form is a massively problematical theoretical issue, which one would think would preclude the life form itself existing.