What are some examples of chemical compounds that carbon forms?
The answer to this question is a whole field of study unto itself. Carbon is about the most versatile of the elements. In nature it can occur in the pure rather simple forms of graphite and diamond or it occur in the immensely complicated molecules that are the foundations of life on this planet. It is also found in hundreds, if not thousands) of compound that are in between these two extremes, both natural and synthetic. If you really want to know about the compounds that carbon forms, then I would suggest starting with just a basic chemistry class and, if that is not enough, move on to an organic chemistry class. (Organic chemistry focuses specifically on the chemistry of carbon. However you will probably need the basic chemistry as a prerequisite for the organic chemistry.) The reason I suggest this is because an adequate answer to your question is really beyond the scope of a forum such as this. The list of carbon compounds is just too big and is growing even as I write this.
