The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 2
Summary
In Chapter 2, the author went over three interesting elements called Carbon, Silicon, and Germanium. Carbon in which is an essential need in daily life, it provides the bonds and rings to make sugar and other substances. As well as Carbon dioxide which is what we breath out. Silicon on the other hand, is an element that the main component in Glass and Silicon Dioxide which is more fatal than Carbon Dioxide. Germanium though is an element that was once used for wiring as semiconductor. Germanium was a good conductor but it heated up to fast in rising temperatures which caused problems in wiring.
The element Silicon was not only proven difficult to form life but had many other flaws, such as bonds with other elements due to its electrons. In some cases Silicon was able to obtain life but it was done as a one cell organism but it also has some benefits as a reinforced exoskeleton. An electrical engineer and Physicist, called William Shockley, in fact used silicon for a amplifier, but gave up after a couple of years. That is when John Bardeen and Walter Brattain took over and made their own amplifier with Silicon. This did not sit well with Shockley so he declared that he took part on the work and got a Nobel Prize as well. Most of the credit ended up going with Shockley which angered Bardeen and ended up leaving that particular field and went on studying other fields.
When the Bardeen left, there was a event which led to a new hero, Jack Kilby. Kilby invented the integrated circuit,that was able to rid of a problem with the purity of Silicon. The problem in silicon was that it was expensive and inefficient with circuits, so he went with Germanium. He would've lived happily but Shockley came in and took the credit of Kilby.
Reflection
In this Chapter, I enjoyed the fact that silicon had many benefits but also some downfalls. One fact I personally thought was interesting about Silicon is how it is a part in some organisms, which is rare, that let them get a exoskeleton. But the downfall is that Silicon would be mostly impossible, biologically, to be put in a life form, which explains why they referred Silicon to be a fictional fantasy to some people and why carbon plays a big role in daily life. Silicon is mostly in a solid form and can only be a gas in 1,000F, which gives me an idea on how Volcanic gas might feel it touch your skin(Since Volcanic gas contains Silicon). But it would be pretty awesome if one day our skin was made up of Silicon because it would be very resistant to energy and take a lot to feel the burn. Silicon though weighs a lot considering the electrons in the element and Silicon does not provide ways to store energy or chemical hormones, leaving the life form more or less like a robotic figure. In addition, Silicon dioxide would be needed for the life form to exist and there aren't many volcanic eruptions now in days, but there is always the possibility of the Exoplanets Mercury and Venus with their origin of having many Extraterrestrial Volcanoes.
The one thing I disliked about the chapter is William Shockley. As maybe talented or Skilled as he was, I would consider him a Quitter for not finishing what he has started. John Bardeen and Walter Brattain on the other hand, had the chemistry to finish their work and win a Nobel Prize. But Shockley couldn't accept the fact so he declared to have some credit and stole the spotlight from them making them look like assistants. Not to mention it makes me furious to find out that Shockley also took the credit of another gifted individual called Jack Kilby.
Guideline Questions
1.You can find Carbon in sugars, and in Carbon Dioxide; although, silicon can be found in Glass materials, and Silicon Dioxide like in Volcanic ash.
2.What properties of carbon make it such an appropriate element as the foundation for Silicon is used in semiconductors, beating out the element Germanium.
3. The reason Silicon is harder to built life forms is because it will not have the proper functions to keep it alive, such as sugars that keep things moving with cellular respiration. Also because Silicon couldn't have proper bonds and couldn't store energy or make chemical hormones.
4.William Shockley was a electrical engineer and physicist that liked to take credit for someone else's work and tried to make a silicon amplifier for a vacuum, but gave up and passed on his work to two of his underlings. John Bardeen was one of those and he was mostly the brains. Walter Brattain on the other hand was perfect putting things together with his hands. But when both Bardeen and Brattain finished their work, Shockley came along and declared that he took part on the work "they" have done, while Shockley did nothing. Which resulted in him getting a Nobel Prize as well, that he didn't deserve.
5.One invention that was stolen from another is an Italian named Antonio Meucci who actually invented the first telephone. But couldn't release his work because he was too poor; so a man called Alexander Graham Bell came in and presented his own Telephone, which left Meucci penniless.
6.Jack Kilby invented the integrated circuit, in order to rid of a problem called the purity of Silicon.
The problem was that silicon was expensive and was inefficient with circuits, so he made them out of Germanium.
