Why is carbon so important to biochemistry?

Carbon is essential to biochemistry because it is found in every type of macromolecule that makes up living organisms: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Macromolecules are the building blocks for an organism, and carbon is the foundation atom of each of those macromolecules.
A few properties of carbon make it the perfect foundation in each of the macromolecules. Carbon has four valence electrons, allowing it to form stable covalent bonds with many different types of atoms. In the macromolecules, you will find carbon frequently bonding with oxygen and hydrogen. Carbon can also bond with other carbon atoms to form different structures, such as long chains, branched chains, or rings. In living organisms, a molecule must have the correct structure, or shape, in order to function correctly. Carbon's ability to form these different structures also makes it ideal for use in macromolecules.