| Origin of Name |
From the Latin word carbo, meaning coal |
| Date and Place of Discovery |
Known to the ancients |
| Discovered by |
Unknown but
A. L. Lavoisier was the first to name the element and to work significantly with it. |
| Common Compounds |
There are almost 10 million carbon compounds and they are studied in organic chemistry
classes. Some of the most common compounds are:
|
| Interesting facts |
- It is found free in nature.
- There are at least four distinct forms of carbon making it an
allotropy.
- Graphite and diamonds are the two most common forms of carbon.
- There are more carbon compounds than there are compounds of all other elements combined.
- It is found in abundance in the sun, stars, comets, and the atmospheres of most planets.
- Carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon, is used to find the age of dead things by
using radiocarbon dating.
|
| Common Uses |
- The greatest single use of carbon is in the form of coke for the iron and steel industry
- Ink for printing
- Paint
- Pencils
- Plastic
- Insulation
- All forms of the aerospace industry (rockets, missiles)
|
