How Much You Know About "Carbon"?

So how well do you know all the elements of periodic table? Each element has its own prominent role in our universe. There are some elements which are essential for our lives. One of them is Carbon.

Have you ever wondered that a chunk of coal and a shiny diamond, both are the different forms of carbon. Carbon is an incredible element. Why? Have you heard about the organic chemistry? Carbon is the base of organic chemistry because it is present in every living thing, and sometimes in dead ones too. Carbon is the fundamental building block of every living thing.

Introduction to "Carbon"

• The scientific symbol for carbon is C.

• The atomic number of carbon is 6 (number of protons).

• The atomic mass of carbon is 12.0107 amu.

• Carbon is located in period 2, which is the second row of the periodic table.

• Carbon is the group 14 chemical element, which is known as carbon group. 

• The physical appearance of carbon is solid at room temperature.

• The melting point of carbon is 6,422 °F (3,550 °C).

• The boiling point of carbon is 8,721 °F (4,827 °C).

• The density of carbon is 2.2670 gram per cubic centimetre.

• Carbon is a non-metal.

• The atomic radius of carbon is 70 pm.

• There are 15 known isotopes of carbon, in which Carbon-12 and Carbon-13 are stable and naturally occurring. Carbon-14 is natural and radioactive with the half life of 5,730 years.

• Allotropes of carbon are: diamond, graphite, graphene, amorphous, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofoam, glassy carbon, and Q-carbon (which is magnetic and fluorescent).

So, that's a little introduction with basic information about the carbon. Now, here are some amazing facts about carbon:-

1. Carbon get its name from the Latin word 'carbo' which means 'coal'.

2. Carbon is recognised by Antoine Lavoiser in 1772, as an element.

3. Carbon is the 4th most abundant element in universe by mass after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen.

4. Carbon is the 15th most abundant element found in the Earth's crust.

5. Carbon is formed in the interior of stars (like Sun) by a reaction, called the triple- alpha process.

6. Carbon loves to bond. It is tetravalent element and it can bond with itself and also with almost every known element.

7. Graphite is the softest substance and Diamond is the hardest substance that we know. Both are carbon.

8. Graphene, which is an allotrope of carbon is known as the thinnest and strongest material ever.

9. Carbon is prehistoric because it was known to early humans in the form of charcoal and soot.

10. Carbon is known to form nearly 10 million different compounds. Loves to bond!

11. All the forms of carbon are solid in normal temperature and pressure.

12. Radiocarbon or C-14 is also used to determine the age of organic material using a process called 'Carbon dating'.

13. About 18% of our body mass is carbon.

14. Diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon, all three allotropes, are the pure form of carbon.

15. Have you heard about Carbon Footprint? Carbon Footprints means the amount of greenhouse gas that is emitted by an individual.

16. Carbon monoxide (CO) is an colourless, odourless and lethal gas produced from the burning of fossil fuels.

17. Hydrocarbons are organic compounds which are chains of hydrogen and carbon. We have too many examples of hydrocarbons like natural gas, diesel, petrol, gasoline, plastics, polyester, coal, kerosene and many more.

18. Pure carbon is considered non-toxic and can be handled easily but some of its compounds are lethal.

19. Pencil leads are not really made up of graphite, because it is too soft to form the leads, in actual it is the mixture of clay and  graphite.

20. Lead of a typical pencil has a diameter around 0.7 mm which is equal to 2 million layers of graphene.

21. Diamond, which is the hardest substance ever known, is capable of scratching almost every known material.

22. The carbon cycle has a very complex loop because it ensures that the amount of carbon that is present on Earth remains constant.

The End Notes

Carbon is a long studied element. But that's all in this article. I hope you liked it. If you know any other interesting fact about carbon which is not mentioned here, please share in comment section. Also share in your circle because sharing is caring.

Thanks for reading!