Why do scientist theorize the possibility of a silicon-based organism?

Why do people think that silicon-based life may be possible? The reason is simple. Silicon is below carbon on the periodic table and silicon can also make four bonds. So, it stands to reason, you could just as easily make complicated molecules with silicon.

What if life was silicon-based?

Due to the weak nature of silicon bonds, silicon-based life would be primitive and simple. The complex structures of the organic forms we see on earth would be lacking — instead we would see a blob or a clump of silicon compounds.

Why are we carbon based life forms and not made from silicon?

– Reactions of Silicon are much slower than reactions of Carbon. – Bonds between Si and Si or between Si and H are not as stable as the bond between Si and O. The life on the earth is composed mainly of carbon, because carbon has four valences and it is possible for various bonds to be made.

What properties does Silicon share with carbon that would make silicon based life more likely than say neon based life or aluminum based life?

What properties does silicon share with carbon that would make silicon-based life more likely than say, neon-based life or aluminum-based life? Si has four valence electrons, the same number as carbon. It would clearly do this much better than neon (with no valence electrons) or aluminum (with three valence electrons).

Why is silicon so important?

Silicon is one of the most useful elements to mankind. Most is used to make alloys including aluminium-silicon and ferro-silicon (iron-silicon). These are used to make dynamo and transformer plates, engine blocks, cylinder heads and machine tools and to deoxidise steel. Silicon is also used to make silicones.

Is silicon essential for life?

Silicon is also essential for plant and vegetable life. Phytolites are small silica particles that are produced within some plants. These particles also have the ability to be kept in fossils, providing evolutionary evidence.

Why does it have to be carbon not silicon which is also an element of the same group?

Carbon is the basis of organic materials in large part due to it’s four valence electrons. Silicon also happens to have four valence electrons as well but does not serve as a basis for a large set of compounds on the level of Organic compounds.

Why is silicon different from carbon?

The key difference between silicon and carbon is that the carbon is a nonmetal whereas the silicon is a metalloid. 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.

What properties does silicon share with carbon that would make silicon-based life more likely than?

What properties does silicon share with carbon that would make silicon-based life more likely than say, neon-based life or aluminum-based life? Si has four valence electrons, the same number as carbon.

Why is silicon more reactive than carbon?

The bond energy for a C-C bond is slightly greater than for a C-O bond, while the Si-O bond is significantly stronger than the Si-Si bond. This difference is reflected in the chemistry of silicon versus carbon compounds.

How has silicon changed the world?

Silicon changed everything. Manufacturing transistors out of silicon allowed them to be made small enough to fit on a microchip, opening the gates to a rush of gadgets that have become smaller and smarter by the year. “All because we can put a massive computer onto a tiny chip.”

Why is silicon The most commonly used substrate for fabricating ICS?

Silicon dioxide is the most widely used insulator in IC technology owing to its extremely stable chemical nature when compare to other oxides like Germanium, which is water soluble and decomposes at a temperature of 800 degree Celsius.

What would silicon-based life on Earth be like?

The corresponding silicon molecule is silicon dioxide, or SiO2, which is commonly known as rock. So, silicon-based life on Earth would be breathing out sand.

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.

What would silicon-based life breathe out like?

When we breathe, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. The chemical formula for carbon dioxide is CO2. The corresponding silicon molecule is silicon dioxide, or SiO2, which is commonly known as rock. So, silicon-based life on Earth would be breathing out sand.