Carbon is one of the most important chemical elements on the periodic table and on our planet. It appears practically in all organic life processes and also forms various types of materials or minerals.
In fact, more than 10 million carbon-based chemical compounds are currently known and each of them has great applications in technology, medicine, industry, life and much more.
Properties and characteristics of carbon
Physical properties
Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe and the fifteenth on the planet and the second in the human body.
It is a non-metallic and allotropic element, that is, it can have two or more different physical forms.
In this sense, carbon has extremely curious physical properties due to their disparity such as their solidity and resistance to a high degree when its atoms make up the diamond, but in turn it can be soft and weak like graphite.
Carbon can also be clean and dirty at the same time, it can also be shiny and transparent or it can even be the opposite black and opaque.
His figure can be firm like diamond or formless like black smoke.
Chemical properties
The carbon generates a reaction with the hydrogen forming between them hydrocarbons.
While when united with oxygen they form two very important oxides for human life such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
On the other hand, carbon has a very unique chemical characteristic in that the sum of all its compounds is much greater than the sum total of all the other compounds of the other elements combined.
Where does it come from and how is it extracted?
Carbon is found in more than 16 million known substances, including compounds that are essential for human life.
Usually it is combined with other elements such as calcium, magnesium and iron in the form of huge mineral rocks of marble, dolomiteand limestone. It should also be mentioned that there are minerals formed only by carbon, such as Diamond, coal or graphite.
Graphite is present in Russia, India, Greenland, United States and Mexico. While the diamond reserves are located in South Africa, Sierra Leone, Botswana Congo and Namibia; also in Canada, Russia, Brazil and Australia.
Where on the planet does it abound?
Carbon is usually abundant in underground regions, in deposits of coal, graphite and diamonds constituting 0.02 of the total earth’s crust.
Coal is distributed throughout a large part of the planet and there are at least 100 countries that exploit it for their economic activities.
While the fossil hydrocarbons of high global interest are located in large deposits in the Middle East, Venezuela and Russia.
Another point where there is a high presence of carbon is in space, since traces can be found on distant planets.
Easily combined with other chemical elements
Carbon has as its main characteristic that it can be combined with other materials such as silicon, boron, tungsten, iron and titanium to give it greater hardness.
It is noteworthy that when iron is given a higher proportion of carbon, it becomes brittle.
Functions in the human body
Carbon is very abundant in the human organism, however, this element is not found individually, since it is always forming a compound with other elements.
Practically that is its function in the organism, to manufacture the chemical bonds in the chains of molecules, because without this element the molecules would be unable to make these links.
Benefits in technology
Carbon and technology go hand in hand, since it is one of the chemical components of hydrocarbons such as oil, from which gasoline, kerosene and all kinds of plastics are obtained.
In the same way, when it appears as carbon -that is, combined with other substances- It is excellent for power generation, being one of the most used sources to obtain electricity.
Benefits for society
Carbon is part of life, because it has multiple applications and has always been hand in hand with the survival of the human species.
As coal had a important participation in the era of the Industrial Revolution, since it was the main input for most of the machinery.
Carbon is life
Carbon is part of human life and has important functions in human beings such as the so-called carbon cycle; Consists of the feedback existing between organisms and plants.
The carbon dioxide that is released into the environment through the respiration of animals is used by plants for the process of photosynthesis, whose final product is oxygen for human consumption. East cycle is constant and sustains life on the planet.
Particular uses
Carbon and its forms are essential in everyday life, as is the graphite that is used to make pencils, while diamonds are used to make scalpels and other cutting tools due to its extreme hardness.
In addition to being widely valued as a decorative object for its particular beauty.
Carbon-14
The radioactive isotope Carbon 14 is used in scientific research, as a faithful marker of the age of organic remains.
Relative toxicity
Carbon is not a highly toxic substance and for the most part its handling and handling does not represent a risk to humans.
However, some organic and inorganic compounds are toxic and are even classified as lethal. For example, the hydrocarbons and coal are highly dangerous in the respiratory system.
Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are harmful if inhaled in large doses, as they block the oxygenation of the body. While cyanide is composed of carbon and nitrogen atoms. It is poisonous and very lethal.