formation of carbon molecule
Answers
Explanation:
The carbon atom is unique among elements in its tendency to form extensive networks of covalent bonds not only with other elements but also with itself. Because of its position midway in the second horizontal row of the periodic table, carbon is neither an electropositive nor an electronegative element; it therefore is more likely to share electrons than to gain or lose them. Moreover, of all the elements in the second row, carbon has the maximum number of outer shell electrons (four) capable of forming covalent bonds. (Other elements, such as phosphorus [P] and cobalt [Co], are able to form five and six covalent bonds, respectively, with other elements, but they lack carbon’s ability to bond indefinitely with itself.) When fully bonded to other atoms, the four bonds of the carbon atom are directed to the corners of a tetrahedron and make angles of about 109.5° with each other (see chemical bonding: Bonds between atoms). The result is that not only can carbon atoms combine with one another indefinitely to give compounds of extremely high molecular weight, but the molecules formed can exist in an infinite variety of three-dimensional structures. The possibilities for diversity are increased by the presence of atoms other than carbon in organic compounds, especially hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), halogens (fluorine [F], chlorine [Cl], bromine [Br], and iodine [I]), and sulfur (S). It is the enormous potential for variation in chemical properties that has made organic compounds essential to life on Earth.
Answer:
Larger organic molecules are formed by the addition of more carbon atoms. ... A double bond is formed when two atoms use two electron pairs to form two covalent bonds; a triple bond results when two atoms share three electron pairs to form three covalent bonds.