By Team Aakash Byju's
The two properties that are the reason for a huge number of carbon compounds are:
– Catenation – Tetravalenc
Catenation is the capacity of carbon to form long chains by linking with another carbon atom through covalent bonds.
So this self-linking property of carbon helps to combine with unlimited carbon atoms and can make different types of chain or ring structures. Forming a huge number of compounds.
Catenation of carbon Chain.
Tetravalency is nothing but the condition of carbon having four valence electrons. Carbon neither loses nor gains electrons instead it just shares four electrons with other atoms.
Due to this characteristic of carbon, it forms four covalent bonds and completes its octet by sharing four electrons with other atoms.
The image given above explains how 4 covalent bonds are formed in carbon.
Apart from these, the varying bond order and hybridisation of carbon also lead to the huge number of carbon compounds as they can form double or triple bonds.
i.e., not only single electron but carbon can share two or three electrons with other atoms to form double and triple bonds respectively.