Carbon black is one of the elements that is used in the lithium-ion battery of a smart
phone, it is gray in color with an atomic weight of about 12.01g/mol and a boiling point
of about 2915k. Carbon exists in different allotropes with variable properties; Carbon in
graphite is opaque, black in color and a good conductor of electricity while Carbon in
diamond is very transparent, hard, and thermodynamically stable. It is solid at room
temperature.
Chemical Properties: Carbon is a very reactive element that forms about million different
compounds, its reactivity varies based on the allotrope. Carbon graphite is more
reactive than carbon on diamond, it consists of layers of carbon atoms arranged
hexagonally. Carbon has four valence electrons that allow it to form up to four covalent
bonds, it is resistance to oxidation by strong oxidizers under normal conditions. Carbon
black is one of the key component elements in lithium-ion battery in a smartphone
because it enhances electrode conductivity during charge and discharge cycle.
Charcoal a form of carbon has been in use since 3750 BC by ancient Egyptians and
Sumerians to reduce various metals during manufacturing process and the application
of carbon continued until Antonine Lavoisier officially listed it as an element in 1789.
Carbon abundantly exists in the ocean, rocks and sediments, the atmosphere and the
lithosphere.