Question

What element, which often forms polymers, has a unique ability to form covalent bonds with many other atoms?

Answer 1

carbon

Carbon has a unique ability to form covalent bonds with many other atoms. It can bond with other carbon atoms as well as with atoms of other elements. Because of this ability, carbon often forms polymers. A polymer is a large molecule that is made out of many smaller molecules that are joined together by covalent bonds. The smaller, repeating molecules are called monomers .  The prefix mono - means one and the prefix poly - means many.   Polymers may consist of just one type of monomer or of more than one type. Polymers are similar to the strings of beads pictured in the Figure below . Like beads on a string, monomers in a polymer may be all the same or different from one another.