Translations:Organische Chemie/3/en

Carbon has a special position because the carbon atom has four bonding electrons with which it can form nonpolar bonds with one to four other carbon atoms. This can result in many linear or branched carbon chains as well as carbon rings, which are connected to hydrogen and other elements (especially oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus] at the bonds not occupied by carbon, which can lead to very large molecules. This explains the huge variety of organic molecules. Silicon, which also has four bonds, also has a large number of compounds, but it does not show such a large variety.