Atomic Number of Carbon

Atomic Number of Carbon is 6.

Chemical symbol for Carbon is C. Number of protons in Carbon is 6. Atomic weight of Carbon is 12.011 u or g/mol. Melting point of Carbon is 3550 °C and its the boiling point is 4827 °C.

About Carbon

Known as "The King of All the Elements", carbon is one of the most important chemical elements, essential for all kinds of life on our planet. Its name was derived from a Greek word meaning coal, and many nations use the same word both for charcoal and this chemical element. Carbon and its chemical compounds, the number of which is really large, is the subject of the study of a large branch of science, organic chemistry. In nature, carbon can be found in a few forms including graphite, grapheme, diamond, fullerene, and so on. Carbon is famous for its property to establish very strong chemical chains with other elements, thus its compounds are really numerous and have a large number of industrial and other uses. In particular, carbon is one of the elements forming long chains of molecules, or polymers. Graphite and charcoal are used in producing pencils and some types of machinery parts, as well as for filtration, etc. Industrial diamonds which have carbon as an essential part are considered to be among the hardest known substances, so they are used for drilling, cutting, and other kind of tasks.

Use of Carbon

Carbon is mostly used as a fuel such as coal, crude oil (petroleum), and natural gas. It is also used in producing polymers, fibers, solvents, printing ink, plastics, etc. In the form of carbon dioxide, it is used in the food industry, the chemical industry, and the oil industry. It is used in drinks such as soda water, beer, and sparkling wine. Besides, carbon dioxide can be used as a fire extinguisher for electrical fires. This compound is also used in medical and pharmacological uses, in enhanced oil recovery, in some agricultural and biological applications. Liquid carbon dioxide is preferred to remove caffeine from coffee.

Cellulose which is a natural, carbon-containing polymer, and essentially obtained from wood pulp and cotton, is used in paper products like paper, paperboard, and card stock. It is also the main ingredient of textiles made from cotton and linen.

Graphite which is a crystalline form of the element carbon is used in pencils and lubricants. Natural graphite is mostly used for batteries, refractories, expanded graphite, steelmaking, electric motor brushes, etc. And synthetic graphite is mostly preferred in scientific research.

Diamond which is a solid form of the element carbon and the hardest known natural material is used for cutting hard materials or for adornment.

Compounds with Carbon

• CO: Carbon monoxide
• CO₂: Carbon dioxide
• CO₃: Carbon trioxide
• HCN: Hydrogen cyanide
• CCl₄: Carbon tetrachloride
• C₃O₂: Carbon suboxide
• C₆O₆: Cyclohexanehexone
• C₁₂O₉: Mellitic anhydride
• ‎C₅O₅: Cyclopentanepentone

Properties of Carbon Element