Carbon: Difference between revisions
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'''Carbon''' is a [[element|chemical element]] with [[atomic number]] ''Z'' = 6, i.e., the carbon nucleus has charge ''e Z'', where ''e'' is the [[elementary charge]], and carbon takes the sixth position in the [[periodic table]] of elements. The chemical symbol of carbon is C. One twelfth of the mass (formerly called atomic weight) of the most abundant [[isotope]] <sup>12</sup>C is by definition the [[unified atomic mass unit]]: A(<sup>12</sup>C) ≡ 1 u. The mass averaged over the naturally occurring isotopes is 12.0107 u. | '''Carbon''' is a [[element|chemical element]] with [[atomic number]] ''Z'' = 6, i.e., the carbon nucleus has charge ''e Z'', where ''e'' is the [[elementary charge]], and carbon takes the sixth position in the [[periodic table]] of elements. The chemical symbol of carbon is C. One twelfth of the mass (formerly called atomic weight) of the most abundant [[isotope]] <sup>12</sup>C is by definition the [[unified atomic mass unit]]: A(<sup>12</sup>C) ≡ 1 u. The mass averaged over the naturally occurring isotopes is 12.0107 u. | ||
Revision as of 03:13, 9 November 2007
Carbon is a chemical element with atomic number Z = 6, i.e., the carbon nucleus has charge e Z, where e is the elementary charge, and carbon takes the sixth position in the periodic table of elements. The chemical symbol of carbon is C. One twelfth of the mass (formerly called atomic weight) of the most abundant isotope 12C is by definition the unified atomic mass unit: A(12C) ≡ 1 u. The mass averaged over the naturally occurring isotopes is 12.0107 u.
One of the most widely distributed and abundant of all elements, carbon is a constituent of all organic matter. Diamond, graphite, and fullerenes are non-organic compounds consisting of carbon only. Most organic carbon compounds contain hydrogen, forming the extensive class of carbohydrates.
Plastics, drugs, animal and plant tissue, foods, textile, wood, paper, and many other common substances contain carbon. Fossile fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas, etc.) are compounds of carbon. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide CO2 is an oxide of carbon, as is the poisonous gas carbon monoxide (CO).