Catenation is the ability of an atom to form bonds with other atoms of the same element. Which elements show this property?

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Carbon

Carbon and silicon

Carbon and oxygen

Carbon and nitrogen

answer is B.

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Detailed Solution

Concept- Catenation can be defined as the self-association of atoms of an element to form chains and rings. This definition can be extended to include the creation of layers, such as two-dimensional chaining, and spatial grids, such as three-dimensional chaining.
The most common examples of chaining or elements that exhibit chaining are:
●       Carbon
●       Silicon
●       Sulphur
●       Boron
Thus, catenation is shown by both silicon and carbon. Silicon bonds are less stable due to their large size and reactivity, while the bonds formed by carbon (carbon has a small size) are very strong, therefore carbon shows better chaining than silicon.
Hence, the correct answer is 2.

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