Why carbon compounds are more stable than silicon?

Why carbon compounds are more stable than silicon?

Answer: Both carbon and silicon show the ability of catenation. But compounds made by silicon are reactive and less stable. On the other hand, bonds formed by carbon are very strong and hence organic compounds are more stable than silicon compounds.

Is silicone a stable element?

Silicones are synthetic organosilicon oxides composed of the elements silicon, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen; they are used as lubricants, hydraulic fluids, waterproofing compounds, varnishes, and enamels because, as a class, they are chemically inert and unusually stable at high temperatures.

Why is carbon so stable?

Carbon’s ability to form bonds with four other atoms goes back to its number and configuration of electrons. To achieve stability, carbon must find four more electrons to fill its outer shell, giving a total of eight and satisfying the octet rule. Carbon atoms may thus form bonds to as many as four other atoms.

Why is carbon so special for Biological Chemistry?

The properties of carbon make it the backbone of the organic molecules which form living matter. Carbon is a such a versatile element because it can form four covalent bonds. Organic molecules important for life include relatively small monomers as well as large polymers.

Who is more electronegative silicon or carbon?

The electronegativities of silicon and carbon are given in Table along with hydrogen. Since carbon is more electronegative than hydrogen the C-H bond is polarized towards carbon resulting in a more protic hydrogen (Figure 7.9….Electronegativity.

Is carbon stable alone?

Yes, it is just the matter of having appropriate physical conditions. So, for instance, atomic carbon exist in the gas phase above 3,642 °C (according to Wikipedia).

Which is better to make carbon or silicon?

I have formulated a few ideas about this, such as, Carbon is better because in Earths premortial state (slime and whatnot) billions of years ago, the energy required to make carbon would have been less than that required to make silicon. This can be attributed to Carbon having a smaller nucleus, therefore, less protons, neutrons and electrons.

What’s the difference between a silicon atom and a carbon atom?

Silicon atom is larger than the carbon atom. Moreover, another difference between silicon and carbon is that the silicon is less reactive than carbon. Also, pure carbon compounds occur in nature such as diamond, graphite, and coal. But pure silicon compounds are hardly found.

Which is stronger a silicon bond or a carbon bond?

I think the central idea to emphasize is that silicon bond lengths are much longer than carbon bond lengths. This means, as Dave pointed out, that silicon bonds are weaker than carbon bonds. Therefore, structurally, a silicon backboned molecule is weaker and also less likely to form than a carbon backboned molecule.

Which is more stable Si or silicon hydride?

Si forms strong bonds to more electronegative elements, eg. Si-F and Si-O, whereas C forms strong bonds with less electronegative elements, eg. C-H. Hydrocarbons are more stable than silicon hydrides both with respect to decomposition to the elements and combustion to the dioxide and water.