Information about Carbon

1. Carbon
The origin Of its name derives from the
Latin word Carbo which means
charcoal

2. Chemical Symbol: C
Average Atomic Mass: 12.011
Atomic Number: 6

3. Valence electrons in a
neutral carbon atom: 4

4. Location in the periodic table- Second
row, fourteenth column.
Elements with similar properties- Silicon is
similar to carbon because it has the
same amount of valence electrons and
it is very abundant in the Earth’s crust.

5. Where is it found in nature- Carbon is found
every where in nature including inorganic
rocks, animals, plants and the human body.

6. Carbon is used by humans in the form of
Fossil Fuels, Polymers, solvents, paints,
Fibers, plastics and more.
What makes it appropriate for those uses-
Carbon can bond with an unlimited
amount of chain lengths (Polymers).

7. 5 Compounds carbon can form-
- Methane (natural and manmade),
- Propane (natural and manmade),
- Butane (natural and manmade), -
- Benzene (natural and manmade),
- Graphite (natural, synthetic
graphite is manmade)

8. How was the element discovered,
identified, and/or purified- Carbon was
discovered as charcoal in prehistoric
times, which is also the purest form of
carbon.

9. Interesting Fact- Organic
Chemistry is the study of the
properties and compounds of
carbon.

10. Sources:
http://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/c_atom.htm
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/carbon.aspx
http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/6/carbon