Why is carbon important in the chemistry of life?

Most living things on Earth are made of carbon . Living things need carbon the most in order to live, grow, and reproduce. Also, carbon is a finite resource that cycles through the Earth in many forms.
Why is this important? This makes carbon available to living organisms and remains in balance with other chemical reactions in the atmosphere and in bodies of water like ponds and oceans.

Carbon is the basic building block of life . This is the reason carbon dating is effective, all living organisms contain carbon.

Also, carbon is so important to life because virtually all molecules in the body contain carbon. Sugars, DNA, proteins, fats,...
Except water, of course. Water is made from hydrogen and oxygen.

Carbon can bond to four other groups around it , and to other carbon molecules. For this reason it can form long chain molecules, each with different properties.