Is carbon really so special, or did it just get lucky here on Earth? If you have a periodic table handy, youll note that the element situated under carbon is silicon, which also has four electrons in its outer shell. Ergo, silicon might also seem to be an obvious basis for life.
Silicon may be carbons chemical cousin, but its a poor relation. Because the silicon atom is larger, its bonds with other elements are weaker. While carbon hooks up with two oxygen atoms to make carbon dioxide, a nice waste product for both humans and SUVs, the silicon equivalent, silicon dioxide, quickly assembles itself into a crystalline lattice. Its better known as sand, and would make exhaling a gritty experience.
If thats not enough to dissuade you from silicon, consider this: theres just a lot more carbon around. Cooked up in the searing interiors of stars, the cosmic abundance of carbon is more than ten times that of silicon. And by the way, if silicon is a distant second in the biology sweepstakes, the elements under it in the periodic table germanium, tin, and lead are worse. Theyre less abundant, and less inclined to make biologically interesting compounds. The sole known example of tin-based life occurred in The Wizard of Oz, and it suffered from lack of lubricant.