Carbon present in CO 2 helps in maintaining earth’s temperature.Our body removes carbon in the form of carbon dioxide gas (CO 2), when we exhale.And carbon has been known to humans since prehistoric time. Carbon is the 4th most abundant element in the universe, while it is the 15th most abundant element found from the earth’s crust.Diamond (the allotrope of carbon) is the hardest substance known in the world.Graphite (the allotrope of carbon) is the only nonmetal which is a good conductor of electricity.The molecules of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, contain carbon in it. Around 18.5 % of our body mass is due to carbon element.Carbon is also called a “ King of elements” as it forms more compounds than any other elements.Interesting facts about Carbon element are mentioned below. Hence, as the carbon atom is smaller than silicon atom, it is more electronegative than silicon. The atom which has more electronegativity attracts the electron pair towards itself. Why is Carbon more electronegative than silicon?Įlectronegativity: Electronegativity is a tendency to attract the shared pair of electrons.įor example, when two atoms are bonded with each other by sharing of electrons, the shared pair of electrons remains attracted towards one of the atoms. Hence, diamond is a bad conductor of electricity.
#Carbon periodic table with picture free
Thus, there are no free electrons to conduct electricity. But in diamond, all the four valence electrons of carbon are covalently bonded with other adjacent atoms. Now diamond is also made up of carbon atoms. Hence graphite is a good conductor of electricity. So when the electric current is allowed to pass through the graphite, it passes very easily because of the free electrons present in it. One electron remains delocalized and it is free to flow between the layers of graphite. Graphite has a crystal structure in which there are only 3 covalent bonds formed by the carbon atoms. That means both of them are made up of carbon only, but they have a different crystal structure.Ĭarbon has a valency of 4. Graphite and diamond are the two different allotropes of carbon. While the diamond does not have free electrons, so it does not conduct electricity. The simple answer: Graphite has free electrons which conducts electricity. Why Graphite is a good conductor of electricity and Diamond is not? In this way carbon is a very important element of the human body. When we breathe in oxygen gas (O 2), it combines with the carbon (C) of the body and finally carbon dioxide (CO 2) is formed which comes out of the body when we exhale. It is present in our body cells in the form of sugars like glucose.Ĭarbon enters our body from the food we intake.Ĭarbon is present in high quantities in foods which are rich in carbohydrates. In other words, carbon consists of around 18.5 % of mass in the human body.Ĭarbon is the basic building block of our body. In the human body, around 18.5 % of mass is because of carbon. Yes carbon is present everywhere, in all living organisms. Note: Not all the diamonds are colorless. Also the structure of diamond is such that most of the light passes through it. And so, these bonded electrons do not absorb any radiation.
While in diamond, the adjacent atoms are covalently bonded with each other. That means graphite has delocalized electrons which are responsible for electric current.Īlso, these delocalized electrons absorb most of the light.Īnd as the light is absorbed, it appears shiny black in color. You might be knowing that graphite is a good conductor of electricity. Now, for graphite and diamond, the entire concept is based on how the electrons are bonded with each other. If the object absorbs all the light, then it will appear completely black.Īnd if the object does not absorb any light (or it reflects all the light), then it will appear completely white. The color of any substance depends upon the light absorption by the object.
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