209k views
4 votes
What makes carbon atoms ideally suited to their role in living things?

User Jader Dias
by
4.6k points

2 Answers

6 votes

Answer:

Cells are made of many complex molecules called macromolecules, which include proteins, nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), carbohydrates, and lipids. The macromolecules are a subset of organic molecules (any carbon-containing liquid, solid, or gas) that are especially important for life. The fundamental component for all of these macromolecules is carbon. The carbon atom has unique properties that allow it to form covalent bonds to as many as four different atoms, making this versatile element ideal to serve as the basic structural component, or “backbone,” of the macromolecules.

User Hdk
by
4.4k points
2 votes
It’s based on the fact that it is the chemical element on which the existence of life is based.
User Wim Mostmans
by
4.4k points