Why carbon?
In: Biology
The carbon atom is very versatile, as it has four electrons in its outer shell. That means it needs to borrow four electrons to have a full outer shell, which is something atoms like. This, in turn, means carbon can create strong bonds to other carbon atoms, creating rings or chains of carbon and other elements. These rings and chains can fold in different ways, creating an enormous variation.
The upshot is that the chemistry of carbon compounds is really complex and that is essentially what life is: complex chemistry.
In summary, we need complex chemistry to be alive, and the properties of carbon makes complex chemistry possible. There may be life based on elements similar to carbon – for example silicon – but all life on earth is based on carbon.
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