Carbon has four electrons in its outer shell. Why does this make it important to life? (1 point)

Question

• The outermost shell can only bond with hydrogen and other carbon atoms.
• The outermost shell is full, making it a stable element that can bond to water.
• The outermost shell can form up to four covalent bonds and this allows it to form biomolecules.
• The outermost shell never fills making it unstable and unable to bond to other carbon molecules.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

• The outermost shell can form up to four covalent bonds and this allows it to form biomolecules.

This property makes carbon incredibly versatile in forming a wide variety of complex molecules that are essential for life, such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.