These characteristics are: 1) carbon is abundant, common; 2) forms strong covalent bonds; 3) has four valence electrons; 4) variety of shapes; 5) bonds with multiple elements
Carbon atoms are very important in building biological molecules. Carbon has many characteristics that make possible building of a variety of carbon-based biological molecules.
Carbon has four valence molecules, is very abundant, and carbon creates very strong covalent bonds.
Carbon's four valence electrons allows the molecules to create four different covalent bonds, and it makes it much easier to bond to other molecules. The balanced electrons makes it easy to break bonds and form them, therefore building biological molecules.
Carbon is in the top five most abundant elements in the universe, which makes it very important or there wouldn't be so much of it.
The amount of carbon creates a variety of carbon-based biological molecules because of the many different combinations of carbon molecules you can create because there is so much carbon.
Carbon's strong bonds make it easier to create biological molecules because it builds and cannot be broken as easily.
Get more interesting facts about carbon at ChemiCool.com.