Why Carbon ?

Everything in this universe tries to attain stability one way or the other. Our idea of stability of atoms is mostly empirical. We have observed what makes atoms stable and have centered our theories around them. The most common one being the Lewis theory which states that all atoms are stable as long as they have $8$ electrons in their outermost shell, and $2$ for hydrogen and helium. This one tallies out quite well with smaller atoms as well as noble gases. Atoms either come together to lose electrons or gain them in order to fulfill this "octet" configuration. For example, if we consider the compound: $\ce{NaCl}$, sodium has an electronic configuration: $2,8,1$ and chlorine, $2,8,7$. The reasonable way for both these atoms to gain an octet, by the Lewis theory, requires sodium to lose an electron and for chlorine to gain that electron. When this transfer of electron happens, the sodium atom becomes positively charged whereas the chlorine atom becomes negatively charged. Be...

 Organic chemistry is a vast, vast subject. So much so, that even famous chemists like Friedrich Wöhler said (back in the 19th century): “Organic chemistry nowadays drives me mad. To me it looks like a primeval tropical forest full of the most remarkable things, a dreadful endless jungle into which one does not dare enter for there seems to be no way out. ” Even today, I seem to be in deep agreement with Wöhler. Especially the “tropical forest full of remarkable things” part. There is a lot going on around us, and I’ll be happy to wager that if you stand in the center of a huge crowd (which you shouldn’t, given the current circumstances) 99% of whatever meets your eye will have something or the other to do with organic chemistry. This branch of chemistry is involved right from the milk you pour into your cereal in the morning, up till the dreams you have at night. It’s literally everywhere, and we still don’t know 100% about it! (There are, of course, some secrets nature wants to h...