Carbon is the foundation of organic chemistry because of its unique ability to form four stable covalent bonds with other atoms. This property arises from carbon’s four valence electrons, which allow it to form strong and stable bonds with a wide variety of elements, especially hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other carbon atoms.
This tetravalency enables carbon to create an enormous variety of molecular structures—straight chains, branched chains, rings, and complex three-dimensional frameworks. These structures can be simple like methane (CH₄) or incredibly complex like DNA and proteins.
Carbon’s versatility allows it to form single, double, and triple bonds, as well as participate in functional groups that define the reactivity of organic compounds. Its bonding flexibility and stability make carbon the essential element of life, forming the basis of all known biological molecules.