Carbon is an element that has been known since ancient times. Carbon sometimes is considered the element of life, since all living cells and organic molecules contain carbon. Carbon takes the form of one the hardest elemental substances (diamond) and one of the softest (graphite). You encounter pure carbon as diamond, graphite in pencil 'lead', and amorphous carbon in soot and charcoal. The element is found in the food you eat, the clothes you wear and the air you breathe.
Ten facts about Carbon:
- Carbon is the basis for organic chemistry, as it occurs in all living organisms.
- Carbon is a nonmetal that can bond with itself and many otherchemical elements, forming nearly ten million compounds.
- Elemental carbon can take the form of one of the hardest substances (diamond) or one of the softest (graphite).
- Carbon is made in the interiors of stars, though it was not produced in the Big Bang.
- Carbon compounds have limitless uses. In its elemental form, diamond is a gemstone and used for drilling/cutting; graphite is used in pencils, as a lubricant, and to protect against rust; while charcoal is used to remove toxins, tastes, and odors. The isotope Carbon-14 is used in radiocarbon dating.
- Carbon has the highest melting/sublimation point of the elements. The melting point of diamond is ~3550°C, with the sublimation point of carbon around 3800°C.
- Pure carbon exists free in nature and has been known since prehistoric time.
- The origin of the name 'carbon' comes from the Latin word carbo, for charcoal. The German and French words for charoal are similar.
- Pure carbon is considered non-toxic, although inhalation of fine particles, such as soot, can damage lung tissue.
- Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hydrogen, helium, and oxygen are found in higher amounts, by mass).
