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Chemical Properties of Carbon

The 4th most abundant element in the universe is carbon. It occurs naturally as carbon-12, carbon-13, and several radioactive isotopes. Carbon compounds make up all of the life-supporting elements: carbon dioxide (CO2). It has a great affinity for forming chemical compounds, therefore it has a chemical character like electronegativity of carbon. The nature of carbon is to form bonds due to its valence electron pairs.

Carbon is derived from the Latin root word “Carbo” meaning “Coal”. It is one of only a handful of exceptional components known since antiquity. It is the fifteenth most plentiful component in the Earth’s hull, and the fourth most bountiful component in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen. Its overflow, its exceptional variety of natural mixtures, and its strange capacity to shape polymers at the temperatures normally experienced on Earth empower this component to act as a typical component of all known life. It is the second most plentiful component in the human body by mass (around 18.5%) after oxygen. 

In short, the uniqueness majorly comes from the chemical properties like electronegativity of carbon and its physical properties add a cherry on it.

Chemical Properties of Carbon

The various chemical properties of carbon are as follows: –

1) Atomic Number: The atomic number of carbons is 6.

2) Atomic Mass: Its atomic mass is 12.011 g mol-1.

3) Electronegativity: According to Pauling, the electronegativity of carbon is 2.5.

4) Boiling Point: Its boiling point is 4827o C.

5) Melting Point: Its melting point is 3652o C.

6) Density:  Its density is 2.2 g cm-3 at 20o C.

7) Ionic Radius: The ionic radius for C4- is 0.26 nm and for C4+ is 0.015 nm.

8) Van Der Waals Radius: Its Van Der Waals radius is 0.091 nm.

9) Isotopes: It has three isotopes.

10) Electronic Shell: The electron shell configuration of carbon is [He]2s22p2.

11) Energy of first ionisation: The energy of first ionisation of carbon is 1086.1 KJ mol-1.

12) Energy of second ionisation: The energy of the second ionisation of carbon is 2351.9 KJ mol-1.

13) Energy of third ionisation: The energy of the third ionisation of carbon is 4618.8 KJ mol-1.

Physical Properties of Carbon

The various physical properties of carbon are as follows: –

1) Colour: It is black or dull grey in coloring.

2) Nature: It is delicate or soft.

3) Allotropes: It has several allotropes.

Complex Organic Compounds

The principle justification for the worth of carbon is that it can frame four bonds all at once, which permits it to shape perplexing, adaptable atoms. This is great forever. This flexible formation gives rise to various complex organic compounds.

The four principle gatherings of carbon particles of life are proteins, starches, lipids, and nucleic acids. These are the most mind-boggling kinds of natural mixtures. In straightforward natural mixtures, carbon is clung to simply hydrogen. 

Complex natural mixtures, particularly those engaged with living frameworks, have carbons clung to at minimum hydrogen and oxygen. Starches are particles made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. An illustration of carb is table sugar, known as sucrose. Sucrose has the atomic recipe C12 H22 O11. All mind-boggling natural atoms, similar to sucrose, are known as polymers. Polymers are buildings of rehashed underlying units. The underlying units that makeup polymers are called monomers. So basically, polymers are buildings of monomers. Sucrose is one polymer of the glucose monomer. Lipids generally alluded to as fats are likewise polymers. Lipids are polymers of unsaturated fats. The cholesterol that you endeavor to keep inside specific cutoff points is an illustration of a lipid. 

Cholesterol is one of the primary parts of creature cell layers and permits the cell to be adaptable and change shape. Cholesterol has a mind-boggling design of four connected hydrocarbon rings and a hydrocarbon tail. Cholesterol’s atomic recipe is C27 H46 O. Proteins are polymers of amino acids. Amino acids contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. A nucleic acid is a polymeric macromolecule comprised of rehashed units of monomeric ‘nucleotides’ made out of a nitrogenous heterocyclic base which is either a purine or pyrimidine, a pentose (five-carbon) sugar (either ribose or 2′-deoxyribose), and one to three phosphate gatherings.

Applications

Carbon has a ton of purposes, including adornment motivations behind precious stones in gems or dark smoke color in auto’s edges and printer’s ink. One more carbon structure, the graphite, is utilized for high-temperature cauldrons, dry cell, and light curve cathodes, for pencil tips, and as an oil. Vegetal carbon, a nebulous type of carbon, is utilized as a gas permeable and blanching specialist. Carbon dioxide is utilized in drinks carbonation, in fire dousers, and, in a strong state, as a cooler (dry ice). Carbon monoxide is utilized as a decrease specialist in numerous metallurgic cycles. Carbon tetrachloride and carbon disulfide are significant modern solvents. Freon is utilized in cooling frameworks. Calcium carbide is utilized to get ready acetylene; it’s utilized for welding and cutting metals, as well as concerning readiness of other natural mixtures. Other metallic carbides have significant purposes as hotness resistants and metal cutters.

Conclusion

From the above points, we can have the essence of the beauty of carbon. Its vast usage and properties are expanding the ways of research in a prideful manner. The complexity of complex organic compounds is easily understandable due to the above-mentioned properties. Let’s hope for the opening of new doors toward carbon research in the upcoming years.

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Why is carbon so reactive?

Carbon is so reactive due to the affinity of bonding with other small atoms through forming covalent bonds....Read full

Why is carbon called a special element?

Carbon is called a special element because only carbon can form numerous different compounds due to covalency and sm...Read full

Is carbon a flammable element?

Yes, carbon is a highly flammable element.

How many electrons does carbon have?

Carbon has only 6 electrons.

Is carbon magnetic in nature?

No, carbon is not magnetic like other covalent elements.