Interesting Facts About Carbon

Carbon is the non-metallic element in the sixth cell in the periodic system table. Carbon is one of the most important elements in all life, it is also known as the back.

The position of the element carbon in the periodic system table

5 Interesting Facts About Carbon

1. The origin of the name "carbon" comes from the Latin word carbo, for charcoal. The German and French words for charcoal are similar.

2. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hydrogen, helium, and oxygen are found in higher amounts, by mass). It is the 15th most abundant element in the Earth's crust.

Carbon can take the forms of charcoal, graphite, and diamond

3. 18% of human body mass is made of carbon. This means that after oxygen, carbon is the second most abundant element present in our body.

Diamond is a polymorphic form of the element carbon

4. In 1772, Antoine Lavoisier demonstrated that diamonds are a form of carbon and in 1855, Benjamin Brodie discovered graphite, is carbon as well.A new carbon allotrope, fullerene was discovered in 1985.

5. Carbon is the basis for organic chemistry, as it occurs in all living organisms. The simplest organic molecules consist of carbon chemically bonded to hydrogen. Many other common organics also include oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur.

Organic compounds in fruits and vegetables