Carbon is the basis of life. It occurs in all known forms of life.
The word carbon is derived from the Latin word “carbo”, means charcoal.
Carbon was named by the chemist Antoine Lavoisier.
Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hydrogen, helium, and oxygen are found in higher amounts, by mass).
Symbol: C
Atomic number: 6
Member of group 14 on the periodic table
Nonmetallic and Tetravalent
Electron configuration: [He] 2s2 2p2
Electrons per shell: 2, 4
Discovered: 3750 BC
Electronegativity: 2.55
Atomic mass: 12.0107 ± 0.0008 u
King of Elements
Carbon has seven isotopes.
Hardest Form: Diamonds
Softest Form: Graphite
Explosive Form: TNT
Poison Form: Carbon Monoxide
Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon (14 C), a radioactive isotope of carbon.