For Carbon Day (December 1st, for Carbon’s atomic mass, 12.01) the following question was asked to several students:

If you were a molecule, any molecule at all, which one would you be? There is no trickery, it’s quite straightforward.

Senior CJ Chan was quick to respond: “I’d be the two glucose molecules for yeast because I’m always getting my bread up.” Upon the audience’s baffled expressions, CJ explains, “The reference to bread is the all-too-common slang of money, which happens to be called bread.”

Other students say they’d prefer to be ionic compounds, also known as salts.

“Calcium fluoride,” chose senior Angel Cruz. “It has many uses like making up the coating for medication, is used to make glass or concrete, and can be produced on a mass scale without much trouble (calcium oxide and fluorine gas + catalyst).” Fluoride is also “used in dental products, some food products, and insulation or glass.” Angel’s favorite aspect of Calcium fluoride is that it “is just a rock, fluorite. When whole and crystallized, it often contains impurities that give it a beautiful potential array of colors, two of those being my favorites, green and purple.”

An anonymous sophomore says they’d be oxygen so they “could be the reason for life on earth.” They’ll happily be “giving energy to people, animals, and plants.”

Carbon, among other atoms, is very important to our universe. Next time you exist, be sure to thank Carbon for existing! Happy (belated) Carbon Day!