Question

why does only carbon atom exhibit property of catenation and form a large no of compounds with other elements??????

Answer 1

A carbon atom has a small size and this enables its nucleus to hold on the shared pair of electrons quite strongly .This is why carbon forms strong bonds with most other elements and the compounds formed are exceptionally stable as compared to covalent bonds formed by other elements.

Answer 2

Carbon exhibits the property of catenation for the following two reasons:

1. Four valence electrons - The presence of four valence electrons in carbon's outermost shell leads to the formation of many compounds when they bind with the outer four compounds of carbon. It also makes the formation of carbon-carbon bonds stronger.
2. Small size - Due to the small size of the carbon atom, enough space is present for the binding of larger compounds as well. And also this leads to the successful binding of carbon with its own element.