Why carbon?

This leads to two questions:

(1) How did the early pre-biotic organic molecules form without falling apart in water? [Were they even in water?]

(2) How come present day living creatures don't fall apart in water? [Except the Wicked Witch of the West.] Clearly it can't be because living things are made of only CH bonds -- otherwise we'd just be walking, talking piles of oil.

Biomolecules can't be too ionic (fall apart in water), but also can't be too covalent (or else they'd never mix with water).

Carbon molecules seem to be a good (the best? who knows?) solution.

Back

Back to Lecture 8 outline

Back to main lectures page

Back to main course page