Question

How does carbon's electronegativity and valence explains its ability to form large complex and diverse organic molecules?

Answer 1

Carbon atomic number is 6 i.e. it has 6 electrons where 2 electrons in the first 's' orbital and other 4 electrons in the second 'p' orbital.

It has little tendency to either lose the 4 electrons or gain 4 electrons in order to attain inert configuration. Hence it usually completes its valence shell by sharing the electrons with other atoms and form 4 covalent bonds.

Hence carbon is tetravalent atom. They can form 4 single covalent bond, 2 double bond (1 double bond and 2 single bond), one triple bond and one single bond.

The carbon atoms that are joined to one another will be in the same plane and have flat three dimensional structures. These form skeletal framework for organic molecules. They can form either linear, branched chain or both.

These carbon skeleton vary in the length, shape, number and location of bonds, etc. Based on all these three dimensional shape of organic molecule function is determined.