"Silicon based life" is a perennial sci-fi trope - I guess because silicon and carbon share similar-ish valency properties. Has anyone actually tried to flesh out what a silicon chemistry complex enough to support protein analogues would look like? Or more broadly, has anyone proposed schemata for complex, self-replicating chemistries that differ substantially from those we know?
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot on Jun 21, 2010 - 16 answers

Looking for a chart or table that broadly summarizes/compares the relative bond energies of the most common intramolecular bonds found in organic molecules (think single and double bonds among C, H, O, N, and maybe S too). [more inside]
posted by killdevil on May 25, 2010 - 2 answers

What's this molecule? An antibiotic of some kind, I think? I've tried Google'ing based on its IUPAC name, no luck.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot on May 7, 2010 - 2 answers

What are your best study strategies for learning organic chemistry and/or anatomy? [more inside]
posted by melodykramer on Sep 15, 2009 - 19 answers

Organic Chemistryfilter: In H NMR spectroscopy, why is it that as a carbon is more substituted, it is also more shielded? Better explanation inside. [more inside]
posted by Paul KC on Jun 20, 2007 - 9 answers

Organic Chemistry [mi] [more inside]
posted by mhaw on Jul 12, 2004 - 5 answers