The catenation tendency of C, Si and Ge is in the order Ge < Si < C. The bond energies (in kJ mol^-1) of C-C, Si-Si and Ge-Ge bonds, respectively are

The ability to form a long chain of atoms of the same element is known as catenation. This ability is primarily demonstrated by those elements that have at least two valence electrons and form strong bonds among themselves. The more the bond energy, the more is the catenation.

Catenation property is efficiently shown by carbon and least shown by Ge. Therefore, C-C has the maximum bond strength (348 kJ/mol), bond length of Si-Si is lesser than C-C (180 kJ/mol) and the least bond length corresponds to Ge-Ge (167 kJ/mol).