![]() ![]() It is the 15th most abundant element in the Earth's crust. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hydrogen, helium, and oxygen are found in higher amounts, by mass).While non-toxic to humans, carbon nanoparticles are deadly to fruit flies. Graphite and charcoal are considered safe enough to eat. Pure carbon is considered non-toxic, although inhalation of fine particles, such as soot, can damage lung tissue.The German and French words for charcoal are similar. The origin of the name "carbon" comes from the Latin word carbo, for charcoal.Other forms of carbon include fullerenes, graphene, carbon nanofoam, glassy carbon, and Q-carbon (which is magnetic and fluorescent). For example, graphite is an electrical conductor while diamond is an insulator. The forms look very different from each other and display dissimilar properties. While most elements known since ancient time only exist in one allotrope, pure carbon forms graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon (soot). Pure carbon exists free in nature and has been known since prehistoric time.If you baked a diamond in an oven or cooked it in a frying pan, it would survive unscathed. The melting point of diamond is ~3550☌, with the sublimation point of carbon around 3800☌. Carbon has the highest melting/sublimation point of the elements.The isotope Carbon-14 is used in radiocarbon dating. In its elemental form, diamond is a gemstone 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. When a massive star turns into a supernova, carbon scatters and can be incorporated into next-generation stars and planets. In this process, three helium nuclei fuse. Carbon is made in giant and supergiant stars via the triple-alpha process. Carbon is made in the interiors of stars, although it was not produced in the Big Bang.Elemental carbon can take the form of one of the hardest substances (diamond) or one of the softest (graphite).Because it forms more compounds than any other element, it is sometimes called the "King of the Elements." ![]() Carbon is a nonmetal that can bond with itself and many other chemical elements, forming over ten million compounds.Many other common organics also include oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. The simplest organic molecules consist of carbon chemically bonded to hydrogen. Carbon is the basis for organic chemistry, as it occurs in all living organisms. ![]()
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