Silicon Based Life Forms

[superball]

Greetings all, I had some interesting concerns, and would like your take on the validity of human life evolving into DNA strings that eventually will include silicon.

 

Is there a possibility of human evolution incorporating silicon, or crystalline silicon DNA strings? Can evolution of man also incorporate crystallizing carbon strings as well ?

 

Respectfully, superball.

Edited November 19, 2011 by superball

[mississippichem]

The problem with hypothetical silicon based life is that Si-Si sigma bonds are easily hydrolyzed (attacked by water or other -OH nucleophiles).

 

Also there is trouble with the stability of Si=Si double bonds. They tend not to form unless there are strongly electron withdrawing groups on the silicon atoms. People have isolated tetrephenylsilenes but not without much effort.

 

Yet another problem with any purposed silicon biochemistry is the strength (and superb kinetic stability) of the unsubstituted silicon-oxygen bond and the tendency of silicates to exist as amorphous network solids that have horrendous solubility in any reasonable solvent.

 

These are just done chemical issues that come to mind. From a genetics standpoint (I'm probably the world's worst at biology) I'm sure the are a plethora of reasons why this won't happen.

 

I am a bit of an enthusiast for hypothetical alternative biochemistries, it's very fun to speculate about. But I doubt many of these speculations will ever come to fruition because there are so many things that we don't understand about our own real biochemistry yet.

Edited November 19, 2011 by mississippichem

[superball]

Hey whats up, thanks for your time, I was thinking it could happen, because if we continue to ingest silicon through solution, life would eventually find a way.

 

Food, and drink should never be packaged in plastic containers, especially due to the leaching factor you had suggested.

 

Do you think arsenic, and silicon can combine? I am not a chemist, but I think nature may have already shared this secret?

 

 

How about carbon based crystalized life?

 

 

Any way time will tell, just don't have the time to wait.

cheers.

[mississippichem]

Food, and drink should never be packaged in plastic containers, especially due to the leaching factor you had suggested.

 

I wasn't talking about leaching. I was actually taking about the stability of carbon-carbon bonds in aqueous solution when compared to silicon-silicon bonds. Plastic containers are perfectly safe for food and drink as they are made from polymers of carbon compounds.

 

Do you think arsenic, and silicon can combine? I am not a chemist, but I think nature may have already shared this secret?

 

I'm sure a discrete As-Si bond would be a very weak one. I imagine the two can be combined or blended as a sort of metalloid alloy or blend. People do similar stuff all the time in the semiconductor industry.

 

 

How about carbon based crystalized life?

 

 

Any way time will tell, just don't have the time to wait.

cheers.

 

Not so sure what you mean here.

[Mr Skeptic]

I think if you want a silicon based life form, you might try looking at the horsetail. Though to be fair it would be silicate not silicon, and would still be carbon based -- but good luck trying to find a better candidate.