RUNNING HEAD: Carbon – A Versatile Element Carbon – A Versatile Element Carbon is one of the most versatile elements known to man, as the basis of life on this planet. It is denoted by symbol C and has atomic mass unit 12. It has 6 electrons and makes four of them available to form covalent bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. It is found in abundance in the sun, stars, comets, and atmospheres of most planets. Carbon is present as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and dissolved in all-natural waters. It is a component of rocks as carbonates of calcium (limestone), magnesium, and iron. The atmosphere of Mars contains about 95 % CO2. Antoine Lavoisier discovered carbon in 1789. Carbon in its original form is soft, dull gray or black non-metal that you can scratch with a fingernail. The physical and chemical properties of carbon depend on the crystalline structure of the element. The three most occurring allotropes of carbon are diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon. The most recently discovered allotrope of carbon is graphene, which consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons. The physical properties of carbon change with the allotropic form. Carbon is found in nature in the sun, stars, comets, and atmospheres of most planets. Carbon costs $2.4 per 100 grams in a pure state. Chemically pure carbon can be prepared by the atomic decomposition of sugar in the absence of air. Carbon in the form of coal is used as fuel. It is used to make inks, paints, and rubber products. It is also used to form the cores of most dry cell batteries, among other things. Graphite is used for pencil tips, high-temperature crucibles, dry cells, electrodes and as a lubricant. Diamonds are used in jewelry and the industry for cutting, drilling, grinding, and polishing. Carbon can form alloys with iron, of which the most common is carbon steel. It is used in the manufacture of casting mold to enhance their hardness. Carbon is used for refrigeration and 2 Carbon – A Versatile Element cooling in solids and liquids. Trees are about half carbon. Photosynthesis uses energy from the sun to turn the carbon dioxide in the air into molecules that become the building blocks of the tree itself. Elemental carbon is of very low toxicity. Health hazard data for Carbon is based on exposures to carbon black, not elemental carbon. Chronic inhalation exposure to carbon black may result in temporary or permanent damage to the lungs and heart. Every food we eat contains carbon. Carbon is unique in its ability to form large, diverse molecules because of the way it forms electronic bonds with other atoms. The chemical bonds carbon forms allow it to form long molecular chains essential to life. Carbon makes up about 0.025 percent of Earth’s crust. It forms more compounds than all the other elements. In 1961, the isotope carbon 12 was selected to replace oxygen as the standard relative to which the atomic weights of all the other elements are measured. Conservation of forests is important as we preserve their carbon and prevent the release of many millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere. This is known as “carbon sequestration.” It is an extremely significant service that forests provide to our planet. Carbon is an interesting element that is used in many materials and many other places. It is also an important greenhouse gas that helps to trap heat in the atmosphere. About 20% of the weight of living organisms is carbon. It is the fourth most abundant element in the universe. It is also a constituent of organic compounds in all known living tissues. All life on Earth depends on carbon. It is unique in its chemical properties because it forms several components superior to the total addition of all the other elements in a combination with each other. 3 Carbon – A Versatile Element References https://www.britannica.com/science/carbon-chemical-element http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2002/mjames/carbon.html https://www.chemicool.com/elements/carbon.html https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele006.html https://www.livescience.com/28698-facts-about-carbon.html https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/c.htm https://healthfully.com/foods-containing-carbon-5402786.html https://natureandculture.org/carbon/ 4
