What type of atom is the carbon atom?
Correct answer: D. Tetravalent
- A. Divalent
- B. Monovalent
- C. Trivalent
- D. Tetravalent
Explanation
Option A: Divalent: Divalent atoms have two valence electrons in their outermost shell, such as oxygen or sulfur.Option B: Monovalent: Monovalent atoms have one valence electron in their outermost shell, such as hydrogen or lithium.Option C: Trivalent: Trivalent atoms have three valence electrons in their outermost shell, such as boron or nitrogen. Option D: The valency of carbon is four because one carbon atom requires 4 electrons to achieve the nearest inert gas configuration. Carbon is considered tetravalent because it has four electrons in its outermost orbital.
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About Classification of Organic Compounds
Organic compounds are classified by carbon skeleton into open-chain, branched-chain and cyclic compounds, including homocyclic and heterocyclic types. The classification also uses functional groups to distinguish hydrocarbons, halo compounds, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives, which is different from naming compounds by IUPAC rules.
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