Question

Why is carbon is considered tetravalent?

Answer 1

Answer;

Since it has four electrons in its outermost orbital, it needs four more electrons to complete its octet.

Explanation;

• Tetravalent elements are those elements whose atoms have four electrons in their outermost energy levels, and thus they have four electrons that are available for bonding with other atoms.
• Examples includes carbon, silicon, etc. Carbon atom has four electrons in the outermost energy level and hence needs four electrons to attain a stable configuration. Therefore carbon atom forms four covalent bonds with other four atoms through sharing of electrons.

Answer 2

The word tetravalent means having a valence of four because of the prefix - tetra. Carbon is considered tetravalent because it has four electrons in its outermost orbital. In order to follow the octet rule, it has to share four other electrons with other atoms. Thus, the answer is the first choice.