Answer
Silicon does favor tetrahedral binding like carbon; However, two main factors make it less appealing as a basis for life:
1. Silicon is much larger than carbon and struggles to form double bonds, which are commonly formed in biochemistry.
2. Silicon only bonds with a limited amount of elements, whereas carbon is able to bind with a larger array. A lack of versatility in binding narrows the biochemical reactions silicon can participate in.
Work Step by Step
Looking at the periodic table informs us of silicon's size, while consulting a beginning inorganic chemistry textbook shows that silicon tends to only bind with a limited assortment of molecules.
