Carbon Facts – Atomic Number 6 – Element Symbol C 2

Carbon is the sixth element of the periodic table. These carbon facts contain chemical and physical data along with general information and history.

Fun Carbon Facts

• The carbon allotrope named graphite is one of the softest materials where diamonds are one of the hardest.
• Graphite is shiny and black, diamonds are colorless transparent solids and fullerenes and amorphous carbon are both black, soot-like powders.
• Carbon atoms can form chains and rings and sealed with hydrogen atoms to form compounds called hydrocarbons. These compounds are the basis of organic chemistry.
• Carbon is a nonmetal that can form over 10 million different compounds.
• Carbon has the highest sublimation point of all the elements. Diamonds melt around 3550 ºC and other allotropes sublime at around 3800 ºC.
• Pure carbon is one of the few elements that exists free in nature.
• Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass.
• 18% of your body weight is carbon.
• Graphite is used as a thermal insulator. It is also a good conductor of electricity.
• Carbon-14 is used to date once living matter in a process known as Carbon Dating.

Basic Carbon Facts

Here are the essential facts for the element carbon:

Name: Carbon

Atomic Number: 6

Element Symbol: C

Group: 14

Period: 2

Block: p

Element Family: nonmetal

Atomic Mass: [12.0096; 12.0116] IUPAC guidelines. For single value, use 12.011.

Electron Configuration: [He]2s²2p² (shorthand) or 1s²2s²2p² (full)

Discovery: Carbon has been known about since prehistoric times.

Name Origin: The name carbon comes from the Latin word carbo, meaning charcoal.

Common Allotropes: Carbon has numerous allotropes, including amorphous carbon, diamond, fullerene, graphene, graphite, and nanotubules.

Natural Isotopes:

Natural boron is comprised of two stable isotopes and one radioactive isotope.

¹²C
Carbon-12 is a stable isotope containing 6 neutrons. Approximately 99% of all natural carbon is carbon-12.

¹³C
Carbon-13 is a stable isotope containing 7 neutrons. Most of the rest of natural carbon is carbon-13.

¹⁴C
Carbon-13 is a radioactive isotope containing 8 neutrons. Carbon-14 occurs naturally in trace amounts. It decays by β- decay into ¹⁴N with a half-life of 5730 years.

There are 12 known artificial radioisotopes ranging from carbon-8 to carbon-22.

Physical Data

Density:
Graphite: 2.2 g/cm³
Diamond: 3.513 g/cm³

Sublimation Point: 3915 K ​(3642 °C, ​6588 °F)

Triple Point: 4600 K at ​10800 kPa

State at 20ºC: Solid

Heat of Fusion: Graphite: 117 kJ/mol

Molar Heat Capacity:
Graphite: 8.517 J/mol·K
Diamond: 6.155 J/mol·K

Atomic Data

Atomic Radius: 1.70 Å

Covalent Radius: sp³: 0.77 Å
sp²: 0.73 Å
sp: 0.69 Å

Van der Waals Radius:  1.70 Å

Electron Affinity: 121.776 kJ/mol

Electronegativity: (Pauling scale): 2.55

1^st Ionization Energy: 1086.454 kJ/mol

2^nd Ionization Energy: 2352.631 kJ/mol

3^rd Ionization Energy: 4620.471 kJ/mol

4^th Ionization Energy: 6222.716 kJ/mol

5^th Ionization Energy: 37830.648 kJ/mol

6^th Ionization Energy: 47277.174 kJ/mol

Common Oxidation States: +4, -4 (common), +3, +2, +1, 0, -1, -2, -3 (uncommon)

Learn more about elements on the periodic table.

References

• Falkowski, P.; Scholes, R. J.; et al. (2000). “The Global Carbon Cycle: A Test of Our Knowledge of Earth as a System”. Science. 290 (5490): 291–296. doi:10.1126/science.290.5490.291
• Lide, D. R., ed. (2005). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (86th ed.). Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-0486-5.
• Reece, Jane B. (2013). Campbell Biology (10th ed.). Pearson. ISBN 9780321775658.
• Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8493-0464-4.