Fun Facts About Carbon
1. Carbon is the basis for organic chemistry, as it occurs in all living organisms.
2. Carbon is a nonmetal that can bond with itself and many other chemical elements, forming
nearly ten million compounds.
3. Elemental carbon can take the form of one of the hardest substances (diamond) or one of the
softest (graphite).
4. Carbon is made in the interiors of stars, though it was not produced in the Big Bang.
5. Carbon compounds have limitless uses. In its elemenal form, diamond is a gemston and used for
drilling/cutting; graphite is used in pencils, as a lubricant, and to protect against rust; while charcoal
is used to remove toxins, tastes and odors. The isotope Carbon-14 is used in radiocarbon dating.
6. Carbon has the highest melting/sublimation point of the elements. The melting point of diamond is
3550 degrees C, with the sublimations point of carbon around 3800 degree C.
7. Pure Carbon exists free in nature and has been known since prehistoric time.
8. The origin of the name Carbon comes from the latin word carbo, for charcoal. The German and
Frenchwords for charcoal are similar.
9. Pure Carbon is considered non-toxic, although inhalation of fine particles, such as soot, can damage
lung tissue.
10. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hdrogen, helium and oxygen are
found in higher amounts, by mass).
http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/carbonfacts.htm
2. Carbon is a nonmetal that can bond with itself and many other chemical elements, forming
nearly ten million compounds.
3. Elemental carbon can take the form of one of the hardest substances (diamond) or one of the
softest (graphite).
4. Carbon is made in the interiors of stars, though it was not produced in the Big Bang.
5. Carbon compounds have limitless uses. In its elemenal form, diamond is a gemston and used for
drilling/cutting; graphite is used in pencils, as a lubricant, and to protect against rust; while charcoal
is used to remove toxins, tastes and odors. The isotope Carbon-14 is used in radiocarbon dating.
6. Carbon has the highest melting/sublimation point of the elements. The melting point of diamond is
3550 degrees C, with the sublimations point of carbon around 3800 degree C.
7. Pure Carbon exists free in nature and has been known since prehistoric time.
8. The origin of the name Carbon comes from the latin word carbo, for charcoal. The German and
Frenchwords for charcoal are similar.
9. Pure Carbon is considered non-toxic, although inhalation of fine particles, such as soot, can damage
lung tissue.
10. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hdrogen, helium and oxygen are
found in higher amounts, by mass).
http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/carbonfacts.htm