In: Biology
Describe the importance of Carbon to life on earth. Your answer must include details regarding (a) chemical properties and bonding of carbon, (b) the proportion of living things made of carbon, (c) types of structures formed by carbon, and (d) how is it incorporated into at least THREE different types of biomolecules.
Importance of carbon to life on earth:
The whole life is carbon based.There is no life is possible without carbon.
Carbon nucleus contains six protons and six neutrons. It has 4 outer shell and two inner shell electrons. It can form covalent bond with carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur or phosphorus (single, double and triple bonds).
All the living things are made of organic molecules,in which a primary element is carbon.
Amorphous, graphite, diamond and carbon 60 are considered to be four important structural forms of carbon. These are the allotropes of carbon.
Biomolecules like proteins(haemoglobin), carbohydrates(glucose), nucleic acids(DNA), lipids (cholesterol) contain carbon.
Carbon cycle is present in earth by which different processes utilizes and produce carbon related compounds. It includes photosynthesis, respiration, combusion ,decomposition, fossilisation.