Carbon is an essential atom in many organic molecules. Why is it so useful?(1 point)

Question

Responses

It has a full outer shell of electrons, so it does not need electrons from other atoms.
It has a full outer shell of electrons, so it does not need electrons from other atoms.

It has a half-full outer shell of electrons, allowing it to form a wide variety of bonds.
It has a half-full outer shell of electrons, allowing it to form a wide variety of bonds.

It has an almost full outer shell of electrons, meaning that it is has a greater tendency to bond with other atoms.
It has an almost full outer shell of electrons, meaning that it is has a greater tendency to bond with other atoms.

It has an empty outer shell of electrons, allowing it to accept electrons from a larger number of atoms.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

It has a half-full outer shell of electrons, allowing it to form a wide variety of bonds.

Carbon has four electrons in its outer shell and can form four covalent bonds with other atoms, which allows for the creation of a diverse array of organic molecules. This versatility in bonding is key to the complexity of biological molecules.