Which statement best describes why carbon can form a wide variety of organic compounds?

Carbon can form four covalent bonds, allowing it to bond with other carbon atoms and with elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Carbon atoms can also link into chains and rings, producing many different organic structures. Ionic bonding is not the reason for this variety, so the best choice is “Each carbon atom covalently bonds with atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.”

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