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Carbon by itself doesn't form all that many compounds, but there are a lot of molecules with carbon plus a few other elements (like oxygen or hydrogen or nitrogen).

The reason is that while carbon can (and in fact often does) combine with oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and a lot of other elements, it's not all that much more energetically favorable for it to do so as opposed to bonding with another carbon atom. Since each carbon atom can have up to four bonds, this gives carbon a lot of flexibility in making complicated molecules.

Silicon also can form up to four bonds, but it bonds with oxygen much more strongly than it bonds with other silicon atoms, so if you have silicon and oxygen around, you wind up with pretty much exclusively silicon dioxide until you run out of either silicon atoms or oxygen atoms.

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11y ago
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9y ago

Carbon is the building block of many important compounds because it has four valence electrons that allows it bond to many other kinds of elements and molecules. It is also small and requires very little energy to bond to other elements.

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13y ago

Carbon has four valence electrons, enabling it to form covalent bonds with multiple

atoms that have free valence electrons. This allows carbon to be capable of forming chains, because of its ability to covalent bond with many atoms.

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12y ago

Carbon is many senses is a very special element.

  • It is a relatively light atom, and very common atom
  • It really "likes" hydrogen which makes an excellent "filler"
  • It can make 4 bonds...
  • Of these 4 bonds, it can bond to a neighboring carbon atom 1,2,3, or perhaps even 4 times. It can also bond with Nitrogen and Oxygen, 2 other light elements.
  • Both Aromatic and saturated rings are possible.
  • When bonded to "non-polar" elements like other Carbon atoms, or making symmetric bonds to atoms like hydrogen, then it is non-polar. However, it can easily incorporate polar atoms, or some kind of asymmetric bonding to make it polar.
    This is important. For example, because of the electron arrangement, oxygen and nitrogen can never really be non-polar.
    This ability to be non polar, but making polar bonds is perhaps vital to life on earth, and the reason why cell membranes can be effective.
Anyway, put these together and they are like an infinite sized tinkertoy set. Remember that carbon will make bonds with essentially any other element on the Periodic Table except the Noble Gasses.

Another aspect is that "life" on earth chose to use Carbon as it's basic building block. Other elements such as Silicon, or Germanium would have functioned similarly, or perhaps even Nitrogen. But, since Carbon is the core building block for all life on earth, it is also the core of all organic compounds.
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12y ago

Carbon's tetravalency and ability to bond to itself.

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13y ago

Because carbon can make very long chains an can combine in any shape and pattern.

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11y ago

becuase it have many bonds

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Q: Why is it possible for carbon to form so many different kinds of compounds?
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Related questions

How are elements and compounds connected?

Compounds are made up of two different kinds of elements. An example: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is made up of the elements Carbon and Oxygen.


Why does carbon form the basis for so many different kinds of compounds?

Carbon has an unusual property called catenation: interconnexion of cabon atoms by C-C bonds in a huge variety.


Why does carbon form the basis fo so many different kinds of compounds?

Because it can bond so well with itself. Note that its valance is 4, and that carbon can single, double, triple, or quadruple bond to carbon.


Can compounds have different kinds of building blocks?

Yup


What kinds of compounds are called acid base indicators?

Halochromic compounds: compounds with different colors dependings on the pH.


What do elements provide for the biological world?

Carbon is the most important element to living things because it can form many different kinds of bonds and form essential compounds.


When different kinds of Atoms joined together they make what?

Compounds


When different kinds of atoms join together what do they make?

Compounds


What are the chemical similarities and differences among the four main kinds of organic compounds?

they are all carbon based


How is the way in which carbon atoms bond to each important for the number of carbon-based compounds?

Hydrocarbons are molecules consisting of/containing only atoms of carbon and hydrogen. There are many different kinds of hydrocarbons based on different numbers of carbon atoms in the molecules and whether or not any of the carbons are connected by double bonds rather than single bonds.


How is the way in which carbon atoms bond to each other important for the number of carbon-based compounds?

Hydrocarbons are molecules consisting of/containing only atoms of carbon and hydrogen. There are many different kinds of hydrocarbons based on different numbers of carbon atoms in the molecules and whether or not any of the carbons are connected by double bonds rather than single bonds.


What are the main kinds of carbon compounds present in coal and petroleum?

It is hydrocarbons that make up most of coal and petroleum.