[have_a_question]

I have a question about Silicon:

What does silicon bond with, without producing a by-product?

Any information on this would be appreciated.
thanks 

[enahs]

It can react with Silicon dioxide to produce silicon monoxide.

Your question is very vague.

[have_a_question]

It can react with Silicon dioxide to produce silicon monoxide.

Your question is very vague.

Thanks for your feedback on this enahs! A group of us at another forum were wondering about what life on other planets might be like and silicon-based life is one that we're talking about now.
The following is information on what we found on that:
http://www.tufts.edu/as/wright_center/co....t_future_5.html
Quote:

A third argument favoring carbon-based life is the high cosmic abundance of oxygen. When C chemically reacts with O, the result is CO2. This is a gas and thus can easily combine with other compounds; in our case, humans exhale CO2 after inhaled O has reacted with the C in our bodies. When silicon (Si) reacts with O, however, the result is quartz (SiO2), which is a solid unlikely to interact easily with other compounds. Besides, can you imagine a living creature exhaling quartz bricks each time they take a breath? Thus we shouldn’t be surprised that silicon plays no biochemical role on Earth, despite its large abundance on our planet.

Then one member asked the question that I posed here so I decided to log on here to see if anyone could answer that question.

In any case, thanks so much for your feedback on this! If you have any other thoughts on any of this, I would love to hear that! Thanks 

[macman104]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatom

Also, the argument that because SiO2 is a solid and "can you imagine exhaling quartz" is silly.  That makes the assumption that because we breath through our lungs and exhale CO2, that a silicon based organism would as well.

This isn't really a topic that interests me much, but that comment stood out (especially since you bolded it), as a statement that wasn't very compelling.

[have_a_question]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatom

Also, the argument that because SiO2 is a solid and "can you imagine exhaling quartz" is silly.  That makes the assumption that because we breath through our lungs and exhale CO2, that a silicon based organism would as well.

This isn't really a topic that interests me much, but that comment stood out (especially since you bolded it), as a statement that wasn't very compelling.

Thanks for pointing that out and I agree with you! I'm sure a silicon-based organism would not even have anywhere close to the kind of respiratory system that we have. So do they even breathe at all? (if they exist).
Thanks for the link and will look that over!

Btw, I thought this was a very interesting article about diatom's. It's entitled:
Microscopic sea creatures provide foundation for gas sensors and other devices
Here's the link:
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2007/03/09/microscopic_sea_creatures_provide_foundation_for_gas_sensors_and_other_devices.html

[enahs]

I would not say that when carbon reacts with oxygen, carbon dioxide is formed; not significantly in the scheme of things.
When hydrocarbons react with oxygen, we get carbon dioxide (and water).
Silane (a hydrosilicon) is a silicon and hydrogen containing compound. Silane based compounds have a very diverse chemistry; and can form chains similar to hydrocarbons, virtually every common hydrocarbon functional group is possible in silanes, forms rings as well, etc etc. Because silicon readily forms a tetrahedral bonding structure as carbon, there are many similarities. But it also has the ability to "expand its shell" and use the d electrons, in theory, giving it even more possibilities then carbon; in some sense.

They are not very abundant on earth because it is highly reactive with oxygen.


Give it an environment with out oxygen and billions of years; who knows?