Carbon Element Properties and Information
Carbon Element Properties and Information:
Carbon is sixth element on the periodic table. Elements are arranged in the periodic table on the basis of the atomic number. Atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. Carbon has an atomic number of 6. It is located in the Group 14 and Period 2 of the periodic table of elements. It is denoted by C. The name is derived from the Latin word ‘Carbo’ which refers to charcoal.
Forms of carbon like coal and charcoal had been known and used since prehistoric times. It was only about two hundred fifty years ago that it was identified that carbon is that distinctive element which transforms iron to steel and also that diamond and graphite are forms of carbon.
Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe. It is the fifteenth most abundant element on earth. It’s concentration in earth’s crust is 0.025% and it is the second most abundant element in human body having a constitution of 18.5% by mass. It is present in free form in big reservoirs, in combined form with variety of elements and also in crystalline form as diamonds and graphites.
Physical Properties:
- Carbon has many allotropes, allotropes means structurally different forms of the same elements. Two of the well known allotropes of carbon are diamond and graphite.
- The atomic mass of carbon is 12.011
- The sublimation point of carbon is 3642°C
- The density of amorphous forms of carbon is 1800-2100, graphite is 2267 and diamond is 3515 in S.I. units at 20°C
- The physical properties of carbon depends a lot on the type of allotrope. For example; diamond is very transparent in nature, it is one of the hardest known material on earth and it is a poor conductor of electricity while graphite is opaque in nature, it is quite soft and it is a good conductor of electricity.
Chemical Properties:
- Carbon is the only element which forms single bond with another carbon atom and be stable enough at room temperature that it is resistant to lots and lots of chemical attacks. This ensures that large chains of carbon atoms can be formed which will lead to formation of complex chemical compounds with versatile properties.
- Large chain compounds of carbon and hydrogen are present in almost all living things. Human beings themselves are called carbon based life forms. The field which studies properties and characteristics and reactions of such compounds is called organic chemistry.
- Graphene, an allotrope of carbon which is separated from graphite is the hardest known material till date. It is so hard that it can be used to make hydrogen containers for safe storage in future.
- Diamonds are thermodynamically unstable at room temperature. All diamonds at room temperature are continuously converting to graphite but it takes millions of years for the conversion to occur hence diamond is a metastable substance.
- Carbon-12 is the most abundant isotope of carbon. It accounts for 98.93% of carbon on earth. A major part of the rest of the carbon is carbon-13.
- Carbon-14 is a naturally occuring radioisotope which is created by the interaction of nitrogen and cosmic rays in the upper atmosphere.
- Sugar, fats, alcohols, lignin etc are some of the compounds which are formed by combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
- Alkaloids are a combination of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
- Rubber, antibiotics and amino acids are formed by combination of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur.
- DNA, RNA and ATP are formed by combination of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus.
Methods of Production:
Carbon element is not produced in industries on a large scale. It may be produces on a small scale for some applications but it is not required to be produced on a large scale because of presence of large deposits of amorphous and crystalline forms of carbon. These allotropes are simply extracted from earth and are processed further to whatever product is desired.
Relevance in Chemical and Related Industries:
- In Petrochemical Industries: Carbon and carbon based compounds are present in crude oil. The crude oil is distilled to produce gasoline, kerosene and more products.
- In Plastic Industries: Many plastics are made using synthetic carbon containing polymers. They have a pattern of oxygen and nitrogen dispersed at regular intervals.
- In steel industries: Carbon steel is an alloy of carbon and iron.
- Lead: Lead is prepared by combining graphite and clay. It is used in pencils, as a moulding material in glass industry and also in electrodes in batteries.
- Energy Production: Wood, oil and coal are used for producing heat and energy. The basic constituents in all these materials are carbon.
- Activated Charcoal: They are very popular absorbent and adsorbent materials.
Relevance in Other Industries:
- In Fiber Industries: The filaments of polyacrylonitrile are extruded and stretched to form carbon fibers.
- For Printing: One black pigment popularly used is called carbon black.
- In Abrasive Industries: The carbides of tungsten, silicon, titanium and boron are excellent abrasives which are used in cutting and grinding tools.
- In Nuclear Industries: Graphite is used as neutron moderator.
- Carbon Dating: Radiocarbon dating or carbon-14 dating is a method of determining age of an organic material by using radiocarbon.
Health Effects on Exposure:
- Carbon Black: Inhalation of carbon black causes lung irritation and chronic Inhalation causes damage to heart and lungs. Exposure on skin causes inflammation. Carbon black is a known carcinogen.
- Carbon-14: This is a radionuclide. It can cross placenta and also become bound to developing cells and thus endangering fetuses.
- Toxicity: Pure carbon by itself is non-toxic to humans but some of the carbon compounds like carbon monoxide and cyanide are very poisonous.
Effects on Surroundings:
- Drosophila: Drosophila is a type of fruit flies. Carbon nanoparticles are toxic to Drosophila.
- Global Warming: Some carbon based gaseous compound have a property to trap some heat which is received by sun. It is essential to sustain life on earth but due to increasing global warming gases due to industries is causing the global temperatures to rise. This has a tendency to melt glaciers and increase the sea level.
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