The conversation between human and AI assistant.
Why do carbon forms four single bonds inspite of being electronegative and smaller in size?
How does the electronegativity of carbon play a role in forming these bonds?
Electronegativity is the tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself. Carbon is indeed electronegative, but so are the atoms it commonly forms bonds with, such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Hence, the electronegativity of carbon doesn't prevent it from forming single bonds with these atoms.