Carbon and its Compounds — Question 2

Two properties of carbon which lead to the huge number of carbon we see around us are :

(a) Catenation — Carbon atoms possess a unique property to link together (self linking) to form very long chains. This property is known as catenation. Catenation is shown by other elements also but Carbon exhibits this property to the maximum extent. This is because carbon-carbon bond is very strong and hence stable.

(b) Tetravalency of carbon atoms — Compounds of carbon are formed with oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur, chlorine and many other elements giving rise to compounds with specific properties. The bonds that carbon forms with most other elements are very strong due to its small size hence making these compounds exceptionally stable.