Silicon Life instead of Carbon?

Question

What properties does silicon share with carbon that would make silicon-based life more likely than, say, neon-based life or aluminum-based life?

a bio/chem questions...interesting ^.^

Answer 1

Silicon has a valence of 4 like carbon. Neon-life is completely ipossible since neon is inert chemically and can not enter in chemical combinations. Al has only a valence 3 which makes it least chnace to form covalent combinations