Question

What do we mean by quadrivalency in reference to carbon chemistry?

Answer 1

Answer:

And some elements, particularly carbon, can have oxidation states from

−

I

V

to

+

I

V

. On the other hand,

catenation

is simply chain formation. Carbon again has a marked ability to catenate, to form long

C

H

2

−

C

H

2

−

C

H

2

chains. Along the chains, there can be regions of different electronegativity (i.e.

C

=

C

and

C

≡

C

bonds), and substitution by heteroatoms,

O

,

N

,

S

,

halogen

, which atoms can sometimes be included in the chain. Grow the chain long enuff, and you might make a molecule complex enough to support a biochemistry; i.e. self-replicating molecules, and life......