Carbon and its Compounds

This chapter introduces the fascinating world of carbon — the element that forms the backbone of all life. We explore why carbon forms covalent bonds, the versatile nature of carbon (allotropes, catenation, tetravalency), saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, structural isomerism, functional groups, the homologous series, IUPAC nomenclature, chemical properties of carbon compounds (combustion, oxidation, addition, substitution), and the chemistry of important compounds like ethanol and ethanoic acid. We also study soaps and detergents and the cleansing action of micelles. This chapter is a major source of board exam questions.