icarus_bill said:
Please let me know if my queries are inappropriate for this forum, and if so, any alternative forum suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I realize I'm pushing an unnatural idea, but it's for a story I'm writing. So, without getting into too much detail at this point, let's use those magical words, "What if..."
What If: a man from a parallel dimension, who eats silicones (gels, etc.) crosses over to our dimension?
- What could he eat here, in our dimension, off the shelf? (hair-care products, cosmedics, etc.)
- Are there different "grades" or "kinds" of silicones that he would be prone or adverse to?
What If: silicone gel is required for the trans-dimensional trip?
- could it behave as both an energy conductor and a buffer for the traveler?
Again, this is a fun, creative inquiry, not so much a science fact check.
Bill. Since you are writing fiction, you can just make up what you like. There are few rules of thumb in chemistry as to what is poisonous and what is not. If you want a rough guideline I can give you some tips as to what molecules tend to be detrimental to human health.
Dioxins (molecules built around two singly bonded oxygen atoms)
Most substances that contain halides like CL, BR, F, etc. (this is because these atoms have such a high electronegativity that they tend to break apart other normally stable biological molecules). Popular examples include Chloroform, Fluorides, Hydrogen Bromide, etc.
Alkaloids, which is a fancy name for bases, tend to be detrimental to humans since our body is acidic by nature and much perfers them. Of course there are many healthy foods that are alkaloid. But some popular toxic alkaloids include Ammonias, Indoles and amines (for amines, think of methamphetamines, morphines, heroin(es), etc.) All of these alkaloids mentioned are nitrogen-based, but they don't have to be.
Undigestables like celluloses found int tree-stuffs. The reason humans cannot digest things like wild grass and tree leaves is because they are primarily cellulose based. We lack the proper enzymes (keys) to open up and unlock the energy in these molecules, therefore they simply pass right through our digestive tracts. Cows and grazing animals on the other hand have the proper enzymes. Interestingly, cellulose is nearly identical to many sugars like glucose, except for a tiny area of the molecule where an -OH is affixed instead of an -H. Enzymes are very picky and just like keys, you know that one extra notch means the lock just ain't going to open!
I have tried my best to help you. In my opinion it is quite likely that a silicon-based 'human' would encounter the same or similar problems metabolizing such toxic molecules as we would. But as many people have pointed out this thread, its really impossible to know this so we can only make semi-educated guesses.
Hope you find this usefull. Chao.
