What is Carbon?
Carbon in the periodic table
Carbon is a nonmetal or group 14 element of the periodic table with atomic number 6 and element symbol C. It is an essential element for all living things like plants and animals. The nonmetal or p-block element carbon lies above silicon in the periodic table.
Properties
Catenation is the special properties of carbon by which it can form long-chain and ring compounds. Atomic carbon is short-lived species but it is stabilized by allotropic forms.
There are a number of pure forms of carbon including graphite, diamond, fullerenes and graphene. From these diamond is a hardest, colourless, transparent, crystalline solid and graphite is soft, black and shiny. The other nano-forms are fullerenes and graphene. These appear as a black or dark brown, soot-like powder.
The properties of these forms are different due to the different arrangements of C atoms inside them. Most forms of the element are comparatively unreactive.
- Relative atomic mass: 12.011
- State at 20°C: Solid
- Melting point: Sublimes at 3825 °C, 4098 K
- Boiling point: Sublimes at 3825 °C, 4098 K
- Density (g/cm3): 3.513 for diamond and 2.2 for graphite
- CAS number: 7440–44–0
- Chem Spider ID: 4575370
Carbon products are obtained by heating coal, natural gas or wood, or bone in the presence of insufficient oxygen to allow combustion.
Facts about carbon
- It is the basis for organic chemistry and occurs in all living organisms. The simplest organic molecules or hydrocarbons contain carbon and hydrogen atoms. Many other organic molecules present in the living organism contain carbon and hydrogen along with oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
- It is the seventeenth most abundant element found on earth and found in the minerals of most metals in the form of carbonates. It is the 2nd most abundant element in the human body.
- It can bond with itself and many other chemical elements to form over ten million compounds due to its catenation properties. Therefore, carbon is also known as the “King of the Elements.”
- Usually carbon shows valency of +4. Therefore, each carbon atom can form covalent bonds with four other atoms. The +2 oxidation state is also shows in the molecules such as carbon monoxide and and transition metal carbonyl complexes.
- Naturally occurring element has three isotopes namely C-12, C-13, and C-14. C-12 is the most abundant whereas C-14 is radioactive that used for carbon dating.
- It is found in the sun and other stars. It is obtained by nuclear fusion in bigger stars.
- The amount of carbon on Earth is constant and transformed from one form to another via the carbon cycle. In the carbon cycle, during photosynthesis process plants take carbon from air or seawater. It convert into glucose and other organic compounds via the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis. Animals eat some of the biomass and exhale carbon dioxide and returning carbon to the atmosphere.
Uses of carbon
- Most of the fuel is made up of carbon and hydrocarbon compounds. It burns in the presence of oxygen to obtain heat and light.
- industrial applications. It producing polymers, fibres, paints, solvents and plastics etc.
- The form of charcoal and coke is used in the iron and steel industries.
- Carbon black was the first pigment that is used for tattooing.
- The form graphite is used in pencils, to make brushes in electric motors and in furnace linings.
- Activated charcoal is another form that is used for purification, filtration, respirators and kitchen extractor hoods.
- Carbon fibre is currently used in tennis rackets, skis, fishing rods, rockets and aeroplanes.
- Industrial diamonds are used for cutting rocks in razor blades and drilling.
References
https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/6/carbon
https://www.priyamstudycentre.com/2020/08/carbon.html
