Carbon and Its Compounds

Carbon and Its Compounds

The earth’s crust has less than 0.02 percent carbon in the form of minerals (such as carbonates, hydrogen carbonates, coal, and petroleum), whereas the atmosphere contains less than 0.03 percent carbon dioxide. Despite the fact that nature contains a little quantity of carbon, the relevance of carbon seems to be great. Indeed, carbon is the building block of all living species and a large number of everyday objects.

Bonding in Carbon (Covalent Bond):

Covalent bonds are created when two atoms share electrons in order for both to have a fully filled outermost shell.

• Covalently linked molecules have strong intramolecular connections but mild intermolecular interactions
• This results in these compounds having low melting and boiling points
• Due to the fact that the electrons are shared between the atoms and no charged particles are generated, such covalent compounds are often poor conductors of heat

Allotropes of Carbon:

Allotropy is a feature of some elements that allows them to exist in two or more distinct physical states while having comparable chemical properties.

Three main Allotropes of Carbon:

• Diamond: it is an Allotropes of Carbon
• In this form, an atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms forming three-dimensional structures

• It is considered the hardest substance and an insulator
• It is used for drilling rocks and cutting and making jewellery

• Each carbon atom in graphite is an Allotropes of Carbon which is linked to three other carbon atoms
• It is an excellent conductor of electricity and is often used in lubrication
• Buckminsterfullerene is an allotrope of the carbon-containing cluster composed of 60 carbon atoms linked in a spherical arrangement
• At room temperature, it is a black solid

Versatile Nature of Carbon:

Carbon is capable of forming a wide range of compounds due to its tetravalency and catenation characteristics.

• Carbon has a valency of four and is capable of covalently connecting with four additional carbon atoms or heteroatoms in a single covalent connection as well as a double or triple bond
• Catenation is the ability of an element, primarily the carbon atom, to self-link through covalent bonds to create lengthy straight, branching, and rings of various diameters

This attribute exists as a result of the following:

• The carbon atom’s tiny size
• Carbon-carbon bonds are very strong
• Nature is tetravalent

Prominent features of versatility:

• Carbon forms covalent connections with hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and chlorine
• Additionally, carbon produces compounds that include double and triple bonds between its atoms
• Carbon chains may be straight, branching, or ring-shaped
• Carbon’s capacity to form chains results in a succession of homologous compounds in which the same functional group is connected to carbon chains of varying lengths
• Alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids all impart distinctive qualities to the carbon molecules they contain

Saturated and Unsaturated Carbon Compounds

Saturated Carbon Compounds (Alkanes): Only one bond connects the carbon atoms.

• Examples include methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6)
• CnH2n+2 is the general formula, where n denotes the number of carbon atoms

Unsaturated Carbon Compounds:

They have a greater degree of reactivity than saturated carbon compounds.

• Alkenes: These are compounds composed of two carbon atoms joined by a double bond
• CnH2n is the general formula
• Alkynes: These are compounds composed of two carbon atoms joined by a triple bond
• CnH2n-2 is the general formula

Homologous Series:

Homologous series is a collection of molecules in which the same functional group replaces hydrogen in a carbon chain.

Characteristic of Homologous Series:

• Physical Properties: A gradation is visible as the molecule mass rises in any Homologous Series
• For example, Melting and boiling points rise with increasing molecular mass
• Chemical properties: These are defined primarily by the functional group and remain identical throughout a Homologous Series

Nomenclature of Organic Compounds:

It is rather tough to memorise millions of compounds by their particular common name. IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) has set some regulations to organise the naming of organic compounds.

Chemical Properties of Carbon Compounds

• Combustion is Chemical Properties of Carbon Compounds
• In the presence of air, full combustion of carbon compounds provides carbon dioxide water, heat, and light
• Oxidation is Chemical Properties of Carbon Compounds
• In presence of oxidising chemicals, alcohols are transformed to carboxylic acids
• Addition Reaction is Chemical Properties of Carbon Compounds
• Unsaturated hydrocarbons add hydrogen in the presence of an acid catalyst such as palladium or nickel to generate saturated hydrocarbons

• This reaction is often employed in the hydrogenation of vegetable oils utilising a nickel catalyst
• Catalysts are chemicals that cause a reaction to occur or progress at a different pace without the process itself being impacted

• Substitution Reaction is Chemical Properties of Carbon Compounds
• It is the act of replacing of one or more hydrogen atoms of an organic molecule with some other atom or group of the atom

Important Carbon Compounds:

Ethanol and ethanoic acid are Important Carbon Compounds in our daily lives.

• Ethanol: It is commonly called alcohol which is one of the Important Carbon Compounds
  • It is a liquid at room temperature
  • It is the active element in all alcoholic beverages
  • It is an excellent solvent and used in medications such as tincture iodine, cough syrups, and numerous tonics

• Ethanoic Acid: It is also known as Acetic acid. which is one of the Important Carbon Compounds
  • 5-8 percent solution of acetic acid in water is called vinegar and is extensively used as preservation in pickles
  • The melting temperature of pure ethanoic acid is 290 K and consequently, it commonly freezes during winter in cold areas
  • This gave birth to the moniker ‘glacial acetic acid’

Esterification:

• It is the process of production of an ester by the interaction of an acid and an alcohol
• Ethanoic acid interacts with 100% ethanol in the presence of an acid catalyst to generate an ester
• Esters are sweet-smelling compounds that are used in creating fragrances and as flavouring agents
• On treatment with NaOH (an alkali), the ester is transformed back to alcohol and sodium salt of carboxylic acid
• This reaction is known as saponification since it is employed in the manufacture of soap
• Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of long-chain carboxylic acid

Conclusion

From the above explanation we can fluently conclude that carbon shares its four valence electrons with other elements and forms four single covalent bonds to get the nearest noble gas conformation. This is known as tetravalency. Then  Carbon shows that it has tetravalency in all hydrocarbons. 

A carbon snippet possesses the following parcels which make it the most protean element in the periodic table- Consecution, Tetravalency, and Isomerism. Each of these parcels is responsible for why carbon can form such a huge quantum of composites. Compared to the organic composites, the number of inorganic composites is lower, as they don’t form any such bonds formed by the organic composites.