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By Megan Mannelly

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Carbon has been known since the time of the Ancient Greek and Romans, however, it was only recognized as an element around the eighteenth century when a french scientist, Antoine Lavoisier carried out multiple tests on the element. In 1772, Lavoisier placed a diamond in a closed glass jar and  focused the sun’s rays on the diamond with a giant magnifying glass and saw the diamond burn and disappear. The scientist noted that the weight in the jar was the same, even after the diamond disappeared.

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Carbon Basic information (Symbol, Atomic Information, and where it is found/what form)

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Carbon Basic information (Symbol, Atomic Information, and where it is found/what form)

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Carbon's symbol is C, which stands for the Latin word Carbo which means Cole or charcoal. The atomic number of Carbon is 6, and the atomic mass is 12.0107 u ± 0.0008 u. Carbon is found in many places Carbon is one of the most important elements to life on planet Earth. It forms more compounds than any other element and forms the basis to all plant and animal life. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass and the second most abundant element in the human body. Carbon is constantly cycled through the Earth's oceans, plant life, animal life, and atmosphere.

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Carbon is found on Earth in the form of three different allotropes including amorphous, graphite, and diamond. Allotropes are materials made from the same element, but their atoms fit together differently. Each allotrope of carbon has different physical properties. In its diamond allotrope, carbon is the hardest known substance in nature. It also has the highest thermal conductivity of any element. Diamond is transparent in color. Graphite, on the other hand, is one of the softest materials and is black-gray in color. Graphite is a good electrical conductor. Amorphous carbon is generally black and is used to describe coal and soot. One of the key characteristics of carbon is its ability to make long chains of molecules through linking up with other carbon atoms. Carbon also has the highest melting point of all the elements.

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The Family of carbon's is called group 14. It consists of carbon, silicon, germanium, tin, and lead. All of these elements have four electrons in their outermost energy level.

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Carbon (coal) is used as a fuel.

Graphite is used as a lubricant, for pencil tips, high temperature crucibles, dry cells and electrodes.

Diamonds are used in jewelry and - because they are so hard - in industry for cutting, drilling, grinding, and polishing.

Carbon black is used as the black pigment in printing ink.

Carbon can form alloys with iron, of which the most common is carbon steel. The ¹⁴C  radioactive isotope is used in archaeological dating. Carbon compounds are important in many areas of the chemical industry.

Carbon forms a vast number of compounds with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. Its ability to form long-chained, complex compounds has resulted in carbon acting as the basis of all life on Earth.
Calcium carbide is used as a welding agent for cutting metals, in the preparation of acetylene and other organic compounds

The outstanding physical properties - for example thermal conductivity and strength - of new carbon allotropes, such as nanotubes, show enormous potential for future development.

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Carbon is an organic, non metal element (In fact Carbon is the base of all organic materials)

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Carbon is important to our everyday life because of it's long and  continuous chain formation which is caused  by 4 unpaired electrons in the outer shell. All the life is made of carbon. Even the basic building blocks of unicellular life are so much dependent on carbon based organic compounds. The text from rutgers states "Most living things on Earth are made of carbon. Living things need carbon in order to live, grow, and reproduce. Carbon is a finite resource that cycles through the Earth in many forms. This makes carbon available to living organisms and remains in balance with other chemical reactions in the atmosphere and in bodies of water like ponds and oceans."

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http://www.carondelet.pvt.k12.ca.us/Family/Science/GroupIVA/carbon.htm
http://science.marshall.edu/castella/chm448/elements2.pdf
http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/c.html
http://www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/carbon.php
http://www.sciencemag.org/