Carbon (c), nonmetallic chemical element in group 14 (iva) of the periodic table Although widely distributed in nature, carbon is not particularly plentiful—it makes up only about 0.025 percent of earth’s crust—yet it forms more compounds than all the other elements combined. Sources, facts, uses, scarcity (sri), podcasts, alchemical symbols, videos and images. Carbon is a nonmetal that can be found in nature in the forms of graphite, diamond, or fullerenes It has four electrons available to form covalent connections, making it tetravalent Carbon is the world’s sixth most prevalent element.
Carbon is a fundamental element, symbolized as ‘c’ on the periodic table, and is renowned for its versatility and abundance in both living organisms and the inanimate world. Both carbon dioxide and methane, along with all other forms, are natural parts of the carbon cycle, which is the composite of all forms of carbon on the planet found anywhere from the ocean to the upper layers of the atmosphere. Carbon is universally renowned and revered for its dramatically distinct features, which are well depicted in its different allotropes It forms several allotropes including diamond, graphite, graphene, and fullerene. Carbon is found free in nature in three allotropic forms Graphite is one of the softest known materials while diamond is one of the hardest.
Learn why carbon is not just another element but a cornerstone of many scientific disciplines.
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