Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Summary- To open the chapter, Kean marvels at gargantuan words (especially those made by stacking prefixes and suffixes together) and connects this idea to amino acid chains. Amino acidss form a protein when connected to each other, built up by carbon. Amino acids can bond with each other because of the octet rule. Like all elements, Carbon atoms want to fill their outer shell with eight electrons. As the sixth element, Carbon has two electrons in its inner shell and four in its outer shell. This allows it to share its electrons with up to four molecules to create more complex chains. Nitrogen has the same characteristic, though to a lesser degree because it has five electrons in its outer shell.
      Kean goes on to introduce the reader to another colossal word, also called p45, for an incurable lung disease acquired through the inhalation of volcanic silica. He then explores claims that silicon-based life could be possible on another life-bearing planet. He points out that silicon oxide would be unable to replace carbon dioxide because silicon oxide is a solid, only becoming a gas at four thousand degrees Fahrenheit. Furthermore, silica does not dissolve in water, cannot contort itself into molecular rings, and is unable to form double bonds. All of these traits, Kean concludes, make silicon-based life largely unlikely. Still, Silicon has found an incredible niche in the modern world.
      The author introduces the story of William Shockley, a physicist and electrical engineer who attempted to solve the problem of vacuum tubes because of their nature of being high-maintenance. He envisioned a silicon amplifier, but never got anywhere with it. He eventually gave up and tasked two of his assistants, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain with its creation. They ended up using Germanium instead of Silicon to build what they called a transistor. Shockley rushed to take partial credit for the creation, and even won a Nobel Prize with Bardeen and Brattain for it. However, Germanium was soon scrapped for Silicon transistors.
      I liked that the author continued to masterfully utilize analogies for the benefit of the reader. That helped clarify various parts of the chapter and make them a bit more interesting. I also liked the author's blunt tone when he mentioned Shockley, it was rather fitting for a man that did nothing to deserve a Nobel Prize. I did not like, again, there was no mention of a disappearing spoon.
      I learned that Carbon is among the more promiscuous elements, specifically why it is. On top of that, it helped me to further understand the true significance of placement on the periodic table, because Carbon and the every eighth element after it has the same ability to make up to four bonds which makes them incredibly versatile. If I had a bae to tell something about this chapter, it would be that I'm not cheating, I'm just a Carbon molecule that likes to share his electrons. I would also tell them that columns on the periodic table are just as important as rows, if not more so.