Question

Which key difference between carbon and silicon makes carbon better suited to forming molecules for living things?
Carbon has the right number of outer electrons to form a wide range of molecules.

Oxidized carbon is a gas at room temperature, rather than a solid.

Carbon has a greater atomic mass, allowing for stronger molecules.

Carbon is a naturally occurring element, so it is readily available.

Answer 1

The key difference between carbon and silicon that makes carbon better suited to forming molecules for living things is that carbon has the right number of outer electrons to form a wide range of molecules. This property of carbon allows it to form diverse and complex organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, which are essential for life processes. Silicon, on the other hand, does not possess this property in the same way and is therefore not as versatile in its ability to form a wide variety of biological molecules.