Question

This element can form a wide variety of substances, including long chains. The different substances it forms are central to the molecules found in living things.What element it this?a) carbonb) oxygenc) hydrogend) nitrogen

Answer 1

Introduction to Biology: Biomolecules

In the options, they are listing the four more abundant elements in living beings: carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O). Given that all of them are essential to forming the molecules found in living beings, we need to check their chemical properties, because they are telling us that is an element that can form long chains.

• Hydrogen, has only 1 electron and can form one bond at a time, so it cannot form long chains

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• At normal conditions, ,Oxygen, form molecules of only 2 oxygen atoms (O₂), not long chains.

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• Nitrogen, is a similar case to oxygen because at standard temperature and pressure it forms a diatomic gas (N₂)

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• Carbon ,has ,4 atoms that can form covalent chemical bonds,, which allows it to form ,polymers, at, standard temperatures.

This means the correct answer is a) carbon.