Caurbon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Caurbon
Remove ads

Caurbon (frae Laitin: carbo "coal") is the chemical element wi seembol C an atomic nummer 6. As a member o group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic an tetravalent—makin fower electrons available tae furm covalent chemical bonds. Thare are three naiturally occurrin isotopes, wi 12C an 13C bein stable, while 14C is radioactive, decayin wi a hauf-life o aboot 5,730 years.[11] Caurbon is ane o the few elements kent syne antiquity.[12]

Quick Facts Carbon, Appearance ...

Thare are several allotropes o caurbon o which the baist kent are graphite, diamond, an amorphous caurbon.[13] The pheesical properties o caurbon vary widely wi the allotropic furm. For example, diamond is heichly transparent, while graphite is opaque an black. Diamond is the hairdest naiturally-occurrin material kent, while graphite is saft enough tae furm a streak on paper (hence its name, frae the Greek wird "γράφω" which means "tae write"). Diamond haes a very law electrical conductivity, while graphite is a very guid conductor. Unner normal condeetions, diamond, caurbon nanotube an graphene hae the heichest thermal conductivities o aw kent materials.

Aw caurbon allotropes are solits unner normal condeetions wi graphite bein the maist thermodynamically stable furm. Thay are chemically resistant an require heich temperatur tae react even wi oxygen. The maist common oxidation state o caurbon in inorganic compounds is +4, while +2 is foond in caurbon monoxide an ither transeetion metal carbonyl complexes. The lairgest soorces o inorganic caurbon are limestanes, dolomites an caurbon dioxide, but signeeficant quantities occur in organic deposits o coal, peat, ile an methane clathrates. Caurbon furms mair compoonds than ony ither element, wi almaist ten million pure organic compoonds describit tae date, which in turn are a tiny fraction o sic compoonds that are theoretically possible unner staundart condeetions.[14]

Caurbon is the 15t maist abundant element in the Yird's crust, an the fowert maist abundant element in the universe bi mass efter hydrogen, helium, an oxygen. It is present in aw kent life furms, an in the human bouk caurbon is the seicont maist abundant element bi mass (aboot 18.5%) efter oxygen.[15] This abundance, thegither wi the unique diversity o organic compoonds an thair unuisual polymer-furmin ability at the temperaturs commonly encoontered on Yird, mak this element the chemical basis o aw kent life.

Remove ads

References

Freemit airtins

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads