While silicon can form chains of up to seven or eight atoms, carbon’s catenation allows for much longer and more complex chains, contributing to the vast diversity of carbon compounds found in nature and industry.
Share
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
While silicon can form chains of up to seven or eight atoms, carbon’s catenation allows for much longer and more complex chains, contributing to the vast diversity of carbon compounds found in nature and industry.
Silicon exhibits limited ability to form chains compared to carbon’s extensive catenation. While silicon can form chains, it is less versatile than carbon due to its larger atomic size and lower electronegativity. Silicon-silicon bonds are weaker and more susceptible to hydrolysis, limiting the formation of long, stable chains. In contrast, carbon’s small size and moderate electronegativity facilitate strong and stable carbon-carbon bonds, allowing for the extensive and diverse catenation observed in organic compounds. Carbon’s unique catenation property is a key factor in its central role in the complexity and diversity of organic chemistry.