There are many interesting groups of substances in chemistry as a science. One of the largest groups of substances is based on a single element and its properties, that we know as carbon. Since an entire branch of the science of chemistry, known as organic chemistry is based on this element, in this article we will mostly write about carbon as a very interesting and also important chemical element.
Carbon is the chemical element with the symbol C, and is located in the group 14 of the periodic table of elements, together with silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn) and lead (Pb). It is a tetravalent and nonmetallic chemical element, which makes it capable to form covalent chemical bonds which are of great importance in organic chemistry. Carbon has several allotropes. The best known are graphite, diamond and amorphous carbon. The physical properties of the allotropes that were mentioend vary greatly – from the extremly hard diamond which with almost no electrical conductivity, to the relatively soft graphite, which has a very high electrical conductivity.
Carbon is the 15th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, and the forth most abundant element in the universe, after hydrogen, helium and oxygen. All present known forms of life contain carbon. In the human body, carbon is the second most abundant element after oxygen. About 19% of our body mass is carbon.
Carbon also has many other interesting properties. If one is interested in finding out even more related to the chemistry of carbon, it’s always a good idea to start with some of the basic chemistry tutorials.
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