Question

The great number and complexity of organic compounds is reflected in which of the following? Carbon has four valence electrons and can form many other molecules. Carbon has the ability to form a variety of single, double, and triple bonds. Carbon has the ability become stable by joining to only itself to create diverse chains. Carbon is nonpolar when combined with many different elements.

Answer 1

It could be either Carbon has 4 valence electrons and can form many other molecules, or that it has the ability to form a variety of single, double and triple bonds. Both are true and both show complexity of organic compounds.

Answer 2

Carbon has four valence electrons and can form many other molecules

Step-by-step explanation:

The complexity of an organic compound lies within the uniqueness of carbon's structure and bonding capabilities. Carbon is the only element that can form an many different compounds because each carbon atom can form four chemical bonds simultaneously, with other atoms e.g N, O, H, P etc.

Carbon has an atomic number (Z) of 6, with a total of 6 electrons. 2 of these electrons are in a completed inner orbit, hence, only 4 are valence electrons i.e. outer electrons available for forming bonds with other atoms. The four valence electrons can be shared by other atoms in a covalent (shared-electron) bond. They can even be shared by other carbon atoms and so on, forming long strings of carbon atoms. Carbon atoms can bind to each other not only in straight chains, but in complex branchings, like the branches of a tree. They can even join head-to-tail to make rings of carbon atoms as in benzene. Due to this ability of carbon, there is no limit to the different number or complexity of organic compounds that can be formed by carbon.