together to form molecules. It also governs the ways those molecules interact with the other
molecules in their environment.
Organic chemistry is the study of carbon and carbon-containing compounds. What makes carbon so
special? The simple answer is that carbon has unique bonding properties. Carbon is tetravalent,
which means that it can form bonds with up to four other atoms, allowing for the massive versatility
required to form the foundation of biomolecules and life itself. This versatility is compounded by
the fact that carbon, located near the center of the periodic table, can form bonds with many
different elements because of its moderate electronegativity. In addition, because carbon atoms are
fairly small, the bonds that they form are strong and stable.
Remember that there are two types of chemical bonds. The first is ionic, in which electrons are
transferred from one atom to another and the resulting ions are held together by electrostatic
interactions; the second is covalent, in which electrons are shared between atoms. Organic
chemistry is deeply rooted in covalent bonding.