Why is carbon so good at making so many different molecules?

Carbon is unusually versatile because it has four valence electrons, so it can make four strong covalent bonds with many different elements. It also bonds well to itself, creating long chains, branching structures and rings. This flexibility makes carbon the backbone of organic molecules such as sugars, fats, proteins and DNA. Few other elements can match its combination of stability, variety and bond strength, which is why carbon chemistry is central to biology and materials science.