Of
all the known elements in the universe,
there is one in particular that is critical for life as we understand it—carbon. Having an atomic mass unit of
12.0107g/mol and seven isotopes1—one
of which, Carbon-12, being the basis for atomic weights—the sixth element, carbon, is the most chemically active element on the
periodic table. Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson states, “You can make more molecules
out of carbon than you can all other kinds of molecules combined2.”
Indeed, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA (National Nuclear
Security Administration, “There are close to ten million known carbon
compounds; many thousands of which are vital to organic and life processes3.”
Complex organic chemistry—known as ‘the chemistry of life’—is based upon the
properties, structures and reactions of carbon; it is ubiquitous. However, not
only is carbon crucial for life, it has essentially become the cornerstone of
modern human society through a specific set of molecules called hydrocarbons. In fact, the current
global paradigm has been built around the continually accelerated usage of hydrocarbons
which are, in terms of the human lifespan, relatively finite and tend to have a
negative impact on the environment. So, what are hydrocarbons?
Hydrocarbons are molecules that are composed
of carbon and hydrogen, taking on the general chemical formula CnH2n+2. An
example of a hydrocarbon is octane, C8H18,
which is widely used in and a main component of gasoline. And, although various
forms of these hydrocarbons comprise the edifice of our energy grid, the
process by which we extract this energy—combustion—is environmentally deleterious
as well as inefficient. Even with such a wide range of so-called “alternative”
energy sources within our present capabilities, such as wind, wave, tidal,
solar and geothermal, we seem to be intentionally ignoring these other sources
for the sake of what can be called an addiction to oil. In detached ways, and
this is due to a plethora of inherent inefficiencies in a fiat monetary/market
system, we have inched our way toward transitioning into new methods of energy
extraction; but, nothing close to the rate which is necessary to reverse the
ecological degradation caused by humankind over the past century and a half. It
would take an overhaul of our entire global, socioeconomic system to accomplish
such a feat.
We see $1,000,000+ windmills being constructed,
just to view the entire process within the context of monetary gain and cost
efficiency. Cost efficiency is simply a measure of industrial inefficiency;
for, if products were designed with preservation, efficiency and sustainability
in mind, massive profits simply could not be generated. This is why
silicon-based solar panels, which have been around since 1954, have only
recently reached an efficiency level of about 15-20%4.
However, in October 2012, researchers at Stanford University successfully built
the world’s first all-carbon solar cell5.
The most promising aspect of these thin film cells is that they can be coated
from solution. And, as the field of nanotechnology continues to expand
exponentially, an increase in both efficiency and applications is almost inevitable.
In terms of creating ecological
imbalance, there is no greater purveyor than that of carbon. From the
hydrocarbons themselves, to the greenhouse gases CO2 and CO—produced
through combustion of such hydrocarbons—carbon seems to be omnipresent. After
all, it is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass6.
Ironically, in terms of potential for creating and maintaining ecological
balance, there is no greater purveyor than that of carbon. With the introduction of this new carbon solar cell, it is
only a short matter of time before we see the efficiency climb significantly
from the current ‘less than 1%’.
Another element of great
significance on a cosmic scale is hydrogen. Hydrogen is the first element on
the periodic table and has an atomic mass of 1.00794g/mol. Existing in nature
as the gaseous diatomic molecule H2—due
to a stable electronic configuration which fills the 1s orbital and satisfies
the Rule of 2 for both atoms—hydrogen is the most abundant element in the
entire known universe and has been the basis of what can be termed “another
form of life” for billions of years—stars.
Stars are the nuclear furnaces of
the universe, churning out all of the elements on the periodic table (aside
from those created by humans in the laboratory) over millions to billions of
years. The process of nuclear fusion that happens in the centers of stars is
called the proton-proton chain and is responsible for the creation
of different isotopes of hydrogen, helium and beryllium, depending upon the
temperature7.
As stars form from giant dust clouds that are sometimes trillions of miles
long, contamination or enrichment of newly formed stars from products of stars
that have gone supernova leads to another process called the Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen
(CNO) process which converts these elements into isotopes of one another8.
Fluorine is sometimes created in one of the stages of this process. But, where
do the rest of the heavier elements come from?
It turns out that the fusion of
oxygen to oxygen can create elements up to sulfur-32. As the mass of stars
increase, the elements eventually reach a limit to what can be fused in the
center. That limit is iron. Essentially, a very high mass star will have an
iron core surrounded by layers of other elements fusing9.
Eventually, these outer shells are blown off in violent supernovae and even
higher elements are created through a process known as nucleosynthesis. Therefore,
nearly every atom in each of our bodies was created inside, or through the
death, of stars.
Continuing that logic, every atom of
carbon in hydrocarbons was created through the fusion of the other element
present in hydrocarbons—hydrogen. This is why these two elements are so very important
to all life processes; for, the Sun is the life-ground for all carbon-based
life, and hydrogen is the life-ground of stars. It is quite astonishing how
interconnected we all are to the rest of the universe. And, as we gaze out into
the vastness of the cosmos, we can stand confident and fearless knowing that
what is out there is already within us all; we are a part of that. Therefore,
there is nothing to fear. As Carl Sagan famously put it, “We are star stuff
harvesting star light10.”
