Question

What is meant by catenation? Name two elements which show the property of catenation.

Answer 1

Part 1: Catenation

1. The property of one element to bond with itself to form long chains or ring-like structures is called catenation.
2. The chain can be in the form of open-chain or a cyclic ring.

Part 2: Elements showing catenation

1. In the periodic table, there are only a few elements that can show this property i.e. catenation. Carbon and Silicon are common examples of element showing catenation.
2. Both Carbon and Silicon show catenation because they can form a covalent bond by sharing electrons.