What signifiace of carbon having four valence electrons
A: the outermost shell is full making it stable
B: the outermost shell never fills making it unstable
C: the outermost shell can only bond with hydrogen
D: the outermost shell can form up to four covalent bonds
D: the outermost shell can form up to four covalent bonds.
D: the outermost shell can form up to four covalent bonds
The correct answer is D: the outermost shell of carbon can form up to four covalent bonds.
To understand why carbon having four valence electrons allows it to form up to four covalent bonds, we need to understand the concept of valence electrons and covalent bonding.
Electrons are arranged in energy levels or shells around an atom's nucleus. The valence electrons are the electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom. An atom tends to form chemical bonds in order to achieve a full valence shell, which is the most stable electron configuration.
Carbon has an atomic number of 6, which means it has 6 electrons. The electron configuration of carbon is 1s2 2s2 2p2. The first two electrons occupy the 1s orbital, while the remaining four electrons are located in the outermost energy level (2s2 2p2), known as the valence shell.
For carbon to achieve a full valence shell, it needs four additional electrons. Instead of gaining four electrons, carbon can share its four valence electrons with other atoms, forming covalent bonds. Covalent bonds occur when atoms share electrons to attain a more stable electron configuration.
Since carbon has four valence electrons available for bonding, it can form up to four covalent bonds with other atoms. These bonds can be formed with a variety of elements, not just with hydrogen. The versatility of carbon to form multiple covalent bonds is a key factor in the vast number of organic compounds existing in nature.
Therefore, the correct answer is D: carbon having four valence electrons allows it to form up to four covalent bonds.