How can you account for the great number, size, and complexity of organic compounds?

Answer 1

Carbon can form 4 covalent bonds with itself, in chains, in rings, and in different degrees of saturation in conjunction with covalently bonded heteroatoms.

This makes the myriad of possibilities for organic compounds infinite. In fact, as scientist, have only scratched the surface at discovering the structures of the organic molecules that exist in our world.

Answer 2

Carbon is the only atom that can form nearly infinite amounts of single bonds, causing very long chains that can form. Silicon is the only other element that comes close (because they are in the same group).

The stability of the carbon bond is the reason these compounds can become so large, and numerous.

Answer 3

Carbon forms stable bonds with other carbon atoms. Unlike, say, boron or nitrogen.