Question

Describe briefly the catenation property of carbon.

Answer 1

The following conditions are necessary for catenation.

1. The valency of an element is greater than or equal to two.
2. Element should have the ability to bond with itself.
3. The self-bond must be as strong as its bond with other elements.
4. Kinetic inertness of catenated compounds towards other molecules.
5. Carbon possesses all the above properties and forms a wide range of compounds with itself.