Get to know the carbon atom, an atom with a few constituent elements but produces a large variety of compounds
The carbon atom (C) with atomic number 6 has an electron arrangement of K = 2, L = 4. C has 4 valence electrons and can form four covalent bonds and can be described by the Lewis formula.
For example, we can see the molecule CH4 (methane) which has a fairly simple diagram below.
In addition to the above capabilities, carbon atoms can also form bonds with other carbon atoms to form open, branched and closed carbon chains.
Examples of carbon chains can be described by the following structural formula:
It can now be understood that the number of carbon compounds is so large even though the number of types of elements that form it is small.