Why is this element important in everyday life?
Carbon is important in everyday life because it is part of nearly every living thing. It is used for substances that we use everyday, such as plastic all synthetic fabrics and some medicines. Carbon compounds, one such as carbon dioxide, are known for playing a vital role in controlling the temperature of the atmosphere. This compound is also called the "greenhouse gas". Carbon Dioxide is sometimes found in dissolved water. Another carbon compound is chloroflorocarbons that are responsible for destroying the ozone layer. The other compound is DDT, which is a pesticide that poisons humans.
Where is this element found in nature?
Carbon is found anywhere where there are living things. About 94 percent of the six million known compounds contain carbon. Carbon can also be found in a wide variety of rocks such as chalk and limestone. Compounds of carbon such as coal and natural gases contain huge amounts of carbon.
What are the properties of the element?
General Characteristics = Carbon is a solid and is also a nonmetal. When carbon is at normal temperatures it can be characterized by a low reactivity. When at a high temperature carbon reacts with most metals directly to form carbides and with oxygen to form carbon monoxide. Carbon can form with most of the nonmetallic elements to form compounds. Most of these, such as Tetrachloride, must be formed indirectly.
Atomic Symbol =C
Period Number = 4
Group Number and Family Name = Group=4 Family = 14
Atomic Number = 6
Atomic Mass = 12.011
Density = 3.51 g/cm3
Melting Point = 3700 Degrees Celsius
Boiling Point = 4200 Degrees Celsius
Electron Configuration = 1s22s22p6
Shorthand Notation = C
[He] 2s22p2
Common Reactions = One common reaction with carbon is involved in the combining of carbon and one oxygen to form carbon monoxide. Another common reaction is the combination of two oxygen and one carbon to form Carbon Dioxide
Interesting Information = Some information that I found interesting was that in 1961 carbon-12 was chosen to replace isotope oxygen-16 as the standard for atomic weights, and in turn was assigned the atomic weight of 12.
Who is Miss Diamond?
Miss Quartz: " Oh Miss Diamond, you are so lucky. People are always drooling over your carbon based perfection." Miss Diamond: "Oh thank you, but you over estimate my importance of carbon." Mr. Semiconductor: " You're wrong. I am only made up of some silly element called germanium, which is used in computers. Carbon is found in 94 percent of the six million known compounds. You're so lucky." A becoming blush slowly appears on Miss Diamond's solid, non-metallic edges. "Oh, Mr. Semiconductor, I do not know where you came upon your information about carbon, but you are wrong. Just ask my cousin, Miss Pencil. She is made of graphite which, as you probably know, is partly made from carbon just like me", stated Miss Diamond. Mr. Tin, " I do not know. You seem awfully lucky. I mean carbon blends well with a lot of the other elements. When carbon and oxygen get together they make gases like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide." Mr. Poison, " Miss Diamond, you are so lucky. I'm made up of lead and when people think about me they think of lead poisoning or peanut butter. You could not possibly understand how embarrassing it is to walk down the street and hear someone yell, "Hey look Tommy played with him last week and now he is sick.' It's not my fault the kid ate lead." Miss Diamond, " I just do not know. You are not very convincing." Mr. Bor, " Pardon me for saying so but you, Miss Diamond, are very dense compared to your cousin, Miss Pencil. I may only come from boron but even I know how sought after you are." Miss Hydrogen, " Miss Diamond, as you can see I am named after my element. Although I make up more compounds than any other element, I am not too vain to realize that you are also very important. For instance, in the amorphous form, carbon makes up a very important natural resource that people use: coal. Do you realize how many different types of coal there are? I guess not. Even though you don't make up as many compounds as I do, you are just as important. People would die without you." Miss Diamond, "Oh thank you everyone. Without your help I might never have known how important carbon is to me and the world."
