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From: dd@beta.UUCP (Dan Davison)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Silicon-based life
Message-ID: <8644@beta.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Aug-87 01:28:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: beta.8644
Posted: Fri Aug  7 01:28:59 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Aug-87 16:53:05 EDT
Organization: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Los Alamos, N.M.
Lines: 16
Keywords: Carbon, silicon, bond stability

Isaac Asimov  discussed this in a series of articles in his science
column in Fantasy and Science Fiction a *long* time ago.  I think it was
the late sixties or early seventies.

Basically, silicon based life is not quantum-mechanically impossible. The
only problem is that the chain lengths cannot be as long as with carbon
because they are much more unstable.  For example, the long-chain fatty 
acid-equivalents of C20 molecules (Si20) would spontaneously break up.

I do not recall the rest of the arguments, but this was the one that stuck.

I'm pretty sure that there were additional important details but I don't
recall them any more.

dan davison/ theoretical biology/los alamos national lab/ arpa:dd@lanl.gov
uucp: don't know yet./ Quote: "Great warrior?  War not make one great"..Yoda