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Question
Can phosphorus be a suitable alternative for carbon for other extratrerrestrial life forms?
Probably not; the chemical bonding properties of phosphorus are very different from those of carbon. Silicon has sometimes been suggested because it does have some similar chemical properties to carbon, but the fact is that carbon seems to be uniquely able to form the complex chemical bonds, and to twist itself into the specialized molecular shapes, that make life as we know it possible. David Morrison
NAI Senior Scientist
September 26, 2006
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