September 6, 2016 Tuesday
Bedtime Story
The Specialty of Carbon
Carbon is special.
Why? Is it because I am special? No Sir.
Carbon is unique because it is the common link to all life forms that we know on planet earth.
It is also a strong suspect to be the fundamental link of any life form that is extraterrestrial.
What property does this element has that makes it so special?
For one, it is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass (after hydrogen, helium and oxygen).
Secondly, almost 20% of the carbon in the universe is estimated to exist in the form of PAHs which we discussed last night.
PAHs are fertile ground for emergence of life.
If you ask me how we got this estimate of 20%, you will be surprised to know that there are a team of apes who dedicate their lives in keeping track of these molecules in the universe.
This team is the Ames Research Center at Moffett Federal Airfield, California in the Silicon Valley that I have happened to drive pass by several times, though never had the honour of visiting it.
In February 2014, this team of apes announced a greatly updated database of all the PAHs in the universe.
This is an open database which even you can have access to:
http://www.astrochem.org/pahdb/#
Infrared spectroscopy, a subtype of absorption spectroscopy, is used to detect them.
It is based on the fact that molecules absorb specific frequencies that is dependent on their structures.
Thirdly and most importantly, carbon's unique atomic number of 6 with just 2 electron shells endows it with extraordinary powers.
Let me explain how.
The outer shell has 4 unbonded electrons allowing it to form 4 covalent bonds with other elements.
The K shell has 2 electrons.
The L shell has 4 electrons.
Quantum mechanically, we write them as:
Normal state:
1s2, 2s2, 2px1 2py1 2pz0
Excited state:
1s2, 2s1, 2px1 2py1 2pz1
To achieve stability by the octet rule, carbon atom can either lose 4 or gain 4 electrons.
Both these would require tremendous amount of energy and hence carbon refrains from forming ionic bonds.
So what does carbon do to attain moksha or nirvana or the inner peace and stability?
It shares all of its 4 electrons and thus forms 4 covalent bonds.
This property of the carbon atom, in essence, is the basis for all life on planet earth and perhaps elsewhere as well.
Life is chemistry.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average storytelling chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night mon ami and my fellow cousin ape.
Benzo (A) Pyrene - a Type of PAH
A chemical whose effect on retinal cells I had intensely studied at University of California, Irvine
Bedtime Story
The Specialty of Carbon
Carbon is special.
Why? Is it because I am special? No Sir.
Carbon is unique because it is the common link to all life forms that we know on planet earth.
It is also a strong suspect to be the fundamental link of any life form that is extraterrestrial.
What property does this element has that makes it so special?
For one, it is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass (after hydrogen, helium and oxygen).
Secondly, almost 20% of the carbon in the universe is estimated to exist in the form of PAHs which we discussed last night.
PAHs are fertile ground for emergence of life.
If you ask me how we got this estimate of 20%, you will be surprised to know that there are a team of apes who dedicate their lives in keeping track of these molecules in the universe.
This team is the Ames Research Center at Moffett Federal Airfield, California in the Silicon Valley that I have happened to drive pass by several times, though never had the honour of visiting it.
In February 2014, this team of apes announced a greatly updated database of all the PAHs in the universe.
This is an open database which even you can have access to:
http://www.astrochem.org/pahdb/#
Infrared spectroscopy, a subtype of absorption spectroscopy, is used to detect them.
It is based on the fact that molecules absorb specific frequencies that is dependent on their structures.
Thirdly and most importantly, carbon's unique atomic number of 6 with just 2 electron shells endows it with extraordinary powers.
Let me explain how.
The outer shell has 4 unbonded electrons allowing it to form 4 covalent bonds with other elements.
The K shell has 2 electrons.
The L shell has 4 electrons.
Quantum mechanically, we write them as:
Normal state:
1s2, 2s2, 2px1 2py1 2pz0
Excited state:
1s2, 2s1, 2px1 2py1 2pz1
To achieve stability by the octet rule, carbon atom can either lose 4 or gain 4 electrons.
Both these would require tremendous amount of energy and hence carbon refrains from forming ionic bonds.
So what does carbon do to attain moksha or nirvana or the inner peace and stability?
It shares all of its 4 electrons and thus forms 4 covalent bonds.
This property of the carbon atom, in essence, is the basis for all life on planet earth and perhaps elsewhere as well.
Life is chemistry.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average storytelling chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night mon ami and my fellow cousin ape.
Benzo (A) Pyrene - a Type of PAH
A chemical whose effect on retinal cells I had intensely studied at University of California, Irvine
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