Why is carbon so important in biology?
A It is a common element on Earth.
B It has very little electronegativity, making it a good electron donor.
C It bonds to only a few other elements.
D It can form a variety of carbon skeletons including chains and rings.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is:
D) It can form a variety of carbon skeletons, including chains and rings.
Explanation:
Carbon is essential to life because of its unique ability to form diverse and complex molecules. This versatility is due to carbon’s four valence electrons, allowing it to form four covalent bonds with other atoms. As a result, carbon can create a wide variety of structures, including straight chains, branched chains, and rings, which serve as the backbone of biological molecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
One of the most important characteristics of carbon is its ability to bond with other carbon atoms, forming stable and flexible molecular frameworks. These carbon skeletons provide the foundation for functional groups, which further enhance the chemical properties of biological molecules. For example, hydrocarbons (compounds made entirely of carbon and hydrogen) are found in lipid molecules, which store energy efficiently. Carbon’s ability to bond with oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus makes it a key element in biochemical reactions.
Moreover, carbon’s capacity to form double and triple bonds increases the diversity of molecules it can create. Double bonds, for instance, influence the shape and reactivity of molecules, affecting biological processes like enzyme function and membrane fluidity.
If carbon lacked this ability to form varied and stable structures, life as we know it would not exist. No other element demonstrates the same ability to form the vast array of complex molecules required for cellular function, genetic information storage, and metabolic processes. This is why carbon is considered the backbone of life in biology.