What properties of carbon explain carbon's ability to form many different macromolecules?

Answer 1

Two main properties stand out. The first is the valency of carbon. Having a valency of four makes it very capable of bonding with other molecules of varying valencies in a covalent fashion. When you say macromolecules I assume you mean polymeric molecules. In this regard it is the ability of C to covalently bond to itself. Most atoms do not like to bond to themselves whereas C does so very willingly such as Diamond and Graphite.

Answer 2

First, a carbon atom is relatively small. Secondly, it has an affinity for forming bonds with other atoms, including itself. For a larger overview go to Wikipedia on carbon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon

Answer 3

I suppose the main fact is that carbone has an high valence of 4 which enables that element to act in very different chemical molecules and make it suitable to form large molecules

Answer 4

the property of carbon due to which it can make macromolecules and long carbon chains is "CATENATION". so most of the constituents in the earth are made up of carbon and we are also a carbon form of life.

Answer 5

Carbon /ˈkɑrbən/ (from Latin: carbo "coal") is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. There are three naturally occurring isotopes, with 12C and 13C being stable, while 14C is radioactive, decaying with a half-life of about 5,730 years.[11] Carbon is one of the few elements known since antiquity.[12][13] There are several allotropes of carbon of which the best known are graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon.[14] The physical properties of carbon vary widely with the allotropic form. For example, diamond is highly transparent, while graphite is opaque and black. Diamond is among the hardest materials known, while graphite is soft enough to form a streak on paper (hence its name, from the Greek word "to write"). Diamond has a very low electrical conductivity, while graphite is a very good conductor. Under normal conditions, diamond has the highest thermal conductivity of all known materials. All carbon allotropes are solids under normal conditions with graphite being the most thermodynamically stable form. They are chemically resistant and require high temperature to react even with oxygen. The most common oxidation state of carbon in inorganic compounds is +4, while +2 is found in carbon monoxide and other transition metal carbonyl complexes. The largest sources of inorganic carbon are limestones, dolomites and carbon dioxide, but significant quantities occur in organic deposits of coal, peat, oil and methane clathrates. Carbon forms more compounds than any other element, with almost ten million pure organic compounds described to date, which in turn are a tiny fraction of such compounds that are theoretically possible under standard conditions.[15] Carbon is the 15th most abundant element in the Earth's crust, and the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. It is present in all known life forms, and in the human body carbon is the second most abundant element by mass (about 18.5%) after oxygen.[16] This abundance, together with the unique diversity of organic compounds and their unusual polymer-forming ability at the temperatures commonly encountered on Earth, make this element the chemical basis of all known life.

Answer 6

becaue it has 6 electrons in it's outer shell it can donate them to other atoms such as oxygen to form strong ionic bonds. it is a stable atom that easily bonds with any number of other atoms - Oxygen, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, etc.

As such it is usually the backbone that macromolecules are built on - with differing formations and numbers of the other atoms shown (as well as loads of others)

Answer 7

Check this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon