Catenation

Catenation means that some elements like carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen have the ability to join with other elements of the same kind to form long chains, almost like connecting Lego pieces together. These chains can be very long, like a snake, or they can just be a few pieces long, like a necklace with only a few beads on it.

For example, carbon atoms are very good at catenation, so they can join together to form long chains called polymers. These polymers are used to make things like plastics, rubber, and even DNA. Hydrogen atoms also like to catenate, and they join together to form things like hydrogen gas (H2).

Overall, catenation is just a fancy way of saying that some elements can connect with each other to form long chains, which is a very important thing in science and technology.