Carbon forms bond

Atoms are the basic units of matter and

the defining structure of elements. The
term "atom"
comes from the Greek word for
indivisible, because it was once thought
that atoms were the smallest
things in the universe and could not be
divided Carbon can combine with itself
and with many other
elements to form a great diversity of
compounds. The compounds can also
range in size from just a few
atoms to thousands.
There are millions of known carbon
compounds. Carbon is the only element
that can form so many different
compounds.
Atomic Structure
Atoms consist of a nucleus contamıng
protons and
neutrons, surrounded by electrons in
shells. The number of
subatomic particles in an atom can be
calculated from the
atom's atomic number and mass
number.
To calculate the numbers of subatomic
particles in
an atom, use its atomic number and
mass number:
Number of protons =atomic number
Number of electrons = atomic number
Number of neutrons = mass number -
atomic number

Structure of Carbon
Individual carbon atoms have
an
incomplete
outermost electron shell. With an
atomic number of 6 (six
electrons and six protons), the first two
electrons fill the
inner shell, leaving four in the second
hell. Therefore,
carbon atoms can form four covalent
bonds with other
atoms to satisfy the octet rule. The
methane molecule
provides an example: it has the
chemical formula CH4.
Each of its four hydrogen atoms forms a
single covalent
bond with the carbon atom by sharing a
pair of electrons
This results in a filled outermost shell.

Valence Electrons and Bonding in

Carbon

Carbon is a nonmetal in group 14 of the

periodic table. Like other group 14
compounds, carbonas four valence
electrons . Valence electrons are the
electrons in the outer energy level of an
atom tha
are involved in chemical bonds. The
valence electrons of carbon are shown
in Figure below.

Carbon Bonding
Because it has four valence electrons,
carbon needs four more electrons to fill
its outer energy
level. It can achieve this by forming four
covalent bonds. Covalent bonds
are
chemical bonds that form
between nonmetals. In a covalent bond,
two atoms share a pair of electrons. By
forming four covalen
bonds, carbon shares four pairs of
electrons, thus filling its outer energy
level.
A carbon atom can form bonds with
other carbon atoms or with the atoms of
other
elements.
Carbon often forms bonds with
hydrogen. You can see an example in
Figure below. The compound
represented in the figure is methane
(CHy). The carbon atom in a methane
molecule forms bonds with
four hydrogen atoms. Study the
diagram below. The diagram on the left
shows all the shared electrons.
The diagram on the right represents
each pair of shared electrons with a
dash (-). This type of diagram is
called a structuralformula

HYDROCARBONS

A hydrocarbonis an organic chemical

compound composed exclusively of
hydrogen and carbon
atoms. Hydrocarbons are naturally-
occurring compounds and form the
basis of crude oil, natural gas,
coal, and other important energy
sources.
Hydrocarbons are highly combustible
and produce carbon dioxide, water, and
heat when they are
burned. Therefore, hydrocarbons are
highly effective as a source of fuel.

Hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane

and butane are components of natural
gas. Hydrocarbons are
grouped into families namely, alkanes,
alkenes and alkynes.
The compounds in each group have
certain structures that make their
properties different from the other
-ydrocarbon names reflects the number
of carbons and the type of bond formed
between the
atoms. The prefixes and suffixes for the
number of carbons and type of bond is
shown in the table below.
Let us take a closer look.
Number of Carbon atoms
meth 1
eth 2
hep 7
oct 8
prop 3
but 4
pent 5
hex 6
non 9
dec 10
undec 11
dodec 12

Type of Bonds
Single bond
Double bond
Triple bond
-ane
-ene
-yne
Alkanes
One way of checking whether the name
you have given to an alkane is
reasonable is to count the number
of carbon atoms implied by the chosen
name. Take note that the carbon chain
of simple alkane is single
bond.

Alkenes
Alkenes are compounds that have
double bonds. One way of checking
whether the name you
have given to
an alkene is reasonable is to count the
number of carbon atoms implied by the
chosen name.
Alkynes
AIkenes are compounds that have triple
bonds. One way of checking whether
the name you have given to
an alkyne is reasonable is to count the
number of carbon atoms implied by the
chosen name

Structure Formula of Hydrocarbons

Carbon's ability to form bonds with four
other atoms goes back to its number
and configuration of
electrons.
Each bond corresponds to a pair of
shared electrons (one from carbon and
one from hydrogen), giving
carbon the eight electrons it needs for a full
outer shell.