Carbon
Published on Nov 20, 2015
Element science project
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Carbon History
- Antoine Lavoisier
- 3750 BC
- ¨Unknown¨
Carbon is thought to be discovered during the time period of 3750 BC. This was through charcoal, diamonds, and graphite, however, no one knew what they had stumbled upon.
Many people participated in the classification of carbon. This lead to a great debate over who was the ultimate founder of the element. Since Antoine Levoisier was the one to officially classify carbon as an element, he is thought to be the one who ¨discovered¨ it. This was in the textbook he wrote in 1789 based off of his findings in 1772. These included diamonds that were made of carbon, as well as the discovery of synthetic carbon forming plastics with nitrogen and oxygen.
Antoine Levoisier ran an experiment that involved a diamond, magnifying glass, and a glass jar. With these
Many people participated in the classification of carbon. This lead to a great debate over who was the ultimate founder of the element. Since Antoine Levoisier was the one to officially classify carbon as an element, he is thought to be the one who ¨discovered¨ it. This was in the textbook he wrote in 1789 based off of his findings in 1772. These included diamonds that were made of carbon, as well as the discovery of synthetic carbon forming plastics with nitrogen and oxygen.
Antoine Levoisier ran an experiment that involved a diamond, magnifying glass, and a glass jar. With these
Photo by @Doug88888
Isotopes and Mass
- Carbon has 15 known isotopes.
- Its atomic mass is 12.0107
- Atomic number is 6
Carbon has fifteen known isotopes, C-8 to C-22. Out of the fifteen, two are naturally occurring in nature, C-12 and C-14. One of which is used in radiocarbon dating. This is C-14, which has a half life of about 5,730 years. It is the only radioisotope of carbon found in nature. These isotopes, when averaged, give the element of carbon an atomic mass of 12.0107.
The atomic number is six. This is the number of protons every isotope of carbon consists of. The number of protons an element has is unique. It is what makes an element an element. If a proton is lost or gained, the element changes into a different one.
The atomic number is six. This is the number of protons every isotope of carbon consists of. The number of protons an element has is unique. It is what makes an element an element. If a proton is lost or gained, the element changes into a different one.
Photo by Texas.713
Description and Properties
Description
- Solid at room temperature.
- Pure carbon can be found in three Allotropic forms: graphite, diamond, and amorphous
- Color: Transparent, grey, or black. Amorphous carbon is white.
- Two forms are brittle
- Diamonds are the hardest mineral known to man.
- None of the forms are malleable.
- Non-metallic
Carbon is a solid at room temperature and can be found in three allotropic forms: graphite/coal, diamond, and amorphous. Graphite is a dull grey or black color. diamond is transparent, and amorphous carbon is a white crystal. Two of the forms are very brittle, where as diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance known to man. All three forms are non-metallic and not malleable.
Photo by kevin dooley
Chemical Properties
- Reactivity: Does not react with water or acids.
- Chains: Carbon has the ability to form long strings of atoms. Link:
- Forms more compounds than any other element. (Several millions)
- Oxidation: Forms bonds with oxygen to for the compound of CO2.
- Carbon is also flammable
Photo by Michael Kappel
"The King of Chemistry"
- Of the 70 million registered compounds, carbon is in 80% of them.
- Has the special ability to form stable bonds with hetero atoms, as well as non-metals and most metallic elements.
- NOTE: Heteroatom is an atom found in the cyclic ring of a compound.
- Carbon has the special capability of forming stable bonds with radioactive elements such as astatine, helping researchers contain samples of the element with a half life of 8 hours.
Photo by Universal Pops (David)
Bonding
- Carbon typically forms covalent bonds with elements that share a common electronegativitiy- how often an atom attracts a bonding pair of electrons.
- It also forms polar covalent bonds. Ex) Carbon-oxygen
- Polar covalent bonds are bonds that are partly ionic. The amount electronegativity the two elements have is not equal.
Photo by designsbykari
Uses
- Found in all organic compounds making it the basis of life.
- Carbon is also used to stabilize many reactive elements such as francium and rhenium in laboratories.
- A five carbon molecule is one of six molecules that makes up DNA.
- It is also used in many inorganic compounds. From being used to manufacture steel to being a part of the ink in a printer.
- Fuel: coal is solely made of carbon. High concentrations are also found in oil. Both of these organic fossil fuels are used to produce power.
80% of the 70 million known compounds are organic carbon compounds. Thus, making carbon the basis of life. In fact, 18% of our body weight comes from carbon! However, its ability to form stable compounds with almost any element has made it very useful for stabilizing highly reactive elements in chemistry labs.
As previously stated, carbon is flammable. The organic substances of coal and oil both have carbon in them. (Coal consists only of carbon.) These two fossil fuels make up almost 50% of our energy supply, making carbon one of our most essential elements not only for life, but for sustainability.
As previously stated, carbon is flammable. The organic substances of coal and oil both have carbon in them. (Coal consists only of carbon.) These two fossil fuels make up almost 50% of our energy supply, making carbon one of our most essential elements not only for life, but for sustainability.
Photo by archer10 (Dennis) REPOSTING
