I wonder if Marshall (or anyone in that “code” camp) would say that a hydrogen atom is code for +1 and an oxygen atom is code for -2, such that water/H2O is code for 2*(+1)+(-2)=0, which is code for “combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce a stable molecule.”
Various configurations of electrons leading to various valences are not “instructions”. Are various configurations of nucleotides “instructions”? If yes, what is the difference?
[I’m always looking for new ways to explain basic biology concepts to non-scientists. Some work and some don’t—and some I eventually reject as flawed. So these are nothing more than didactic experiments at this point.]