Silicon vs. Carbon: Exploring the Unlikelihood of Silicon-Based Life

[DTSchaefer]

Much as our diamonds and pencils are made of meat.

well, that's a good point, because the molecules that make up living organisms are far more complex than the crystalline carbon structures of diamond/graphite/nanotubes/etc. Who is to say that silicon-based life isn't made of the same large molecules?

So, same substance, different form, NOT MEAT. For both S and C based life.

 

[vaazu]

But if we would assume that the pressure and temperature wouldn´t be the same in the other enviroment. Then could Si compounds be more stable? And the oxidizer (i hope it´s like that in english) wouldn´t be O. For example F. Then SiF4 (it should be a gas) could play the role as CO2. Or is F so strong oxidizer that it would oxidize any Si compound, so the life could not stay? Or maybe the life could live in a liquid environment where the liquid is reductant, so the energy would be generated by reducting food. How unlikely is reducting atmosphere? Would H2 be it?

Hope anyone can catch my ideas :D and say anything about them.