Carbon is element #6 on the periodic table. It is a member of group IV. Its symbol is C. Its atomic weight is 12.0. It is simple yet- it's everywhere! It's in you, it's in me, it's in your computer, it's in almost anything! in fact It's in well over 2,000,000 compounds! I will show six.
First on the list is Carbon Dioxide (CO2). For those of you unaccustomed to science, the Os are oxygen and the C is carbon. Carbon dioxide is a poisonous gas that we exhale. Luckily, trees neutralize the CO2 in the air. CO2 is used in fire extinguishers, because it prevents oxygen (O2) from reaching the fire (fire needs oxygen just like us). CO2 makes up a minute quantity of the air.
Methane. CH4. Here the H's are hydrogen. Methane is also a poisonous gas. It is found mostly on the planet Uranus but is also found on earth. It is a member of the alkane family. The alkanes are molecules with just carbon and hydrogen. Methane is the simplest of the alkanes, having one carbon atom. It reacts with the halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine).
The alkene family is kind of like the alkane family. Ethene is from the alkene family. It is written as CH2=CH2. The "=" means a double bond with the carbon atoms. Ethene is a colorless, sweet-smelling gas and is used in plastics.
This is ethyne. It is a member of the alkyne family. It cannot be written with this Mac I am using because it is written as CH(three lines above each other)CH. It has a triple bond between the two carbon atoms. It is also a gas and is the only common alkyne. It reacts very explosively with chlorine. It is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other vinyl compounds.
Freon is a halogenoalkane (an alkane but instead of hydrogen, there are halogens present). Freon is also a chlorofluorocarbon (a compound of chlorine ( Cl), fluorine (F), and carbon). Freon used to be used as an aerosol propellant, but when holes in the ozone layer were discovered they started using other propellants.
Calcium carbonate or if you prefer CaCO3. It is a crumbly, insoluble powder. This is chalk. Kiddies use it on your driveway (sidewalk chalk). It is used to obtain calcium oxide. It is also used to make cement and is used in building.
What would we do without carbon? Luckily, It's everywhere!!!!!
Thinker: this was a great post. I once was accustomed to science, but after many years of studying economics and business I have become unaccustomed. This was a nice review and gave me plenty to think about.
ReplyDeleteNice post on Carbon Thinker!
ReplyDeleteMethane is produced from garbage at garbage dumps. Sometimes it is collected there.
Sometimes it is also found in our gastrointestinal tract.
I like your molecules; good luck with your chemical studies. I loved chemistry especially organic chemistry in which the CH bond plays such a role
Love, Opa