Carbon: Carbon

Located in Group 14 and Period 4 in the Periodic Table is the element that made you up. This is Carbon.

It has been discovered by the Egyptians in 3750 BCE and officially recognized as an element and also first isolated by Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier in 1789.

Smoke

In the prehistoric times, humans was aware about the smoke produced by fire but the technology wasn't good enough to actually prove that whether there is a new element inside the smoke produced by fire. So, the mysterious element was left unknown.

Lampblack

Presence of carbon is also detected as time passed. After that, oil lamps are invented. Carbon is released in the reaction as oil is burning, which leaves a sooty covering inside the lamp. This soot is later called Lampblack. Because this soot is produced in the lamp, and it also looks black.

This is were the Egyptians first discovered the beauty of Lampblack, also known as Carbon. They started to use Lampblack to do eyeliners for makeup in around 3750 BCE. Lampblack is also used in Egyptian's tombs and murals, which they used Lampblack to paint the walls.

Some other uses of Lampblack overtime is making balsam ( or olive oil ) for making inks.

Antoine Lavoisier

Carbon is first isolated purely by Antoine Lavoisier in 1772. He place diamond in a glass jar. Then, Antoine Lavoisier use a very large magnifying glass ( not the ordinary ones, this one used by Antoine Lavoisier is very enormous! ) to focus the sun's ray on the diamond. Surprisingly, the diamond burned up and disappeared.

The Magnifying Glass used in the Diamond Experiment

The burning up part is a crucial discovery, since combustion happens only when the criteria of the combustion triangle are met. Since diamond burned up when reaction with oxygen and high temperatures' criteria were met, there must be something else that reacted with oxygen to cause this combustion.

Another discovery also led to the question of why the diamond burned up. It is that why the weight of the jar remained unchanged, even though the diamond disappeared? It was after that also one of the indisputable proof that proves that Antoine Lavoisier's law of mass conservation correct.

Diamonds, cut

After a few close researches, Antoine Lavoisier finally proved that charcoal and diamond contain the same element, which was after that called Carbon.
Today, Carbon can be isolated by heating coal for coke ( not the coke we drink ). Coke is a grey, porous fuel which we use it in blast furnaces for isolating Iron from its ores. Carbon can also be isolated by heating carbonaceous material such as wood or bone for charcoal.

Coke, a type of fuel

Carbon also exist in almost pure forms too, such as graphite, coal, diamonds and more. Some recently discovered forms of Carbon is a bit more futuristic, such as fullerenes and buckyballs.

Carbon have many allotropes. Some of them include graphite, diamonds and more. Carbon can also be found in famous compounds such as Carbon Dioxide, which is the air excreted when processing the respiratory system.

Carbon is the 15th most abundant element in the Earth's crust, with the ppm ( unit of abundance in crust, also known as Parts Per Million ) of 200. Carbon is also fourth most abundant element in the universe, with 4600 ppm ( mass fraction ) containing Carbon in the Universe.

The reason Carbon is so abundant in the universe is mainly because of the nuclear fusion reactions in stars when burning Helium. After the nuclear fusion reactions in stars are complete, Carbon is the remaining 'ash' formed after the nuclear fusion.

NASA found' Footballs ' in space - Zee News, India

Carbon is also involved in nuclear fusion reaction in heavy stars to form neon, magnesium and oxygen too.

Carbon on Earth is around 200 ppm. Although it is quite common to have Carbon everywhere, some of the countries known to have the most Carbon are Russia, Botswana, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo,and South Africa.

Skin

Carbon is said to be the center of all life. Our bones, muscles, fats, skin and literally everything in our body is made up of complicated compounds of Carbon. In fact, fuels, the meat on your table, amino acids, leaves are all made up of Carbon. The hair being cut is also Carbon. In fact, if you pluck one of your hair and burn it, you will get diamonds. Imagine you have millions and millions of hair, and you burn your hair in high temperatures. Imagine! You will get tons and tons of diamonds, and life could be better!

Diamonds made from humans - raw and uncut

However, it isn't that easy. To burn a hair, or skin, or muscle, or whatever it is, you have to reach a temperature of approximately 1093 - 1204 degrees Celsius ( 2000 - 2200 Fahrenheit ) and a pressure of 725000 pounds per square inch. Under such high temperature and high pressure, diamonds will only form. Which is why diamonds are so expensive. It is a lot of cost to reach such high pressure and temperature!

Machine used to make Diamonds - Business Insider

Despite of its costly price ( 3000$ for 0.3 carat of diamond ), people still create diamonds out of people. However, it is not for making them rich, it is to remember their deceased family members.

Although the idea of burning diamond might sound good, I would still suggest you not to kill anyone for diamonds. It is not going to work.

Graphene in Computer Graphics

Carbon is also estimated to be widely used in the future, where it's nano allotropic form, graphene, is the thinnest and strongest material known. A mechanic pencil's lead have a diameter of 0.7mm. However, Graphene is 2 million times smaller than that! As for how strong Graphene is, Graphene is 200 times stronger than steel, which for a thin element, Graphene is quite strong. Graphene is the first time which a 2 dimensional atomic crystal structures seen. Sometime in the future, Graphene might be used to make optical electronics, ultra filtration and more. Now, Graphene is used in Cars, Airplanes, Solar Cells and more.

Carbon is essential to our lives, so inhaling too much of Carbon might not be a problem. However, its compounds, such as Coal dust, can cause a disease called Black Lungs. Coal dust contains many hazardous elements such as Lead, Mercury, Arsenic and more. It is quite common in coal workers to get Black Lungs. Black lung symptoms are having shortness of breath, coughing up phlegm, chronic cough and also deceased exercise tolerance. If inhalation of Coal dust persists, it might even cause death.

Black Lungs

Another infamous Carbon compounds that could cause health problems is Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Everyday, Carbon Monoxide is being inhaled to our bodies. Surprisingly, it wouldn't do much effect. However, excess Carbon Monoxide ( such as smoking ) might cause serious lung problems, headaches, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Worst case scenario, it might cause lung cancer and even death.

Atomic number: 6
Name : Carbon
Latin name: Carbonium
Electrons per shell: [2, 4]
Discoverer : Egyptians ( 3750 BCE )
Isolator : Antoine Lavoisier ( 1772 CE )
Element's : Atomic Mass: 12.0107 u
: Density : 2.26g/cm³
:Type : Non-Metal
Chemical Properties :

Does not react with water and acids
Reacts with oxygen
Burns in air to produce carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide
Able to make long chains of atoms
Forms several million compounds
When heated in the absence of air, charcoal is formed

Carbon - 12

15 isotopes : 3 of them are : Carbon - 12 : Protons : 6 : Neutrons : 6 : Electrons : 6 ( Half life : Stable ) Carbon - 13 : Protons : 6 : Neutrons : 7 : Electrons : 6 ( Half life : Stable ) Carbon - 14 : Protons : 6 : Neutrons : 8 : Electrons : 6 ( Half life : 5730 years )

Physical Properties :

Many Allotropes, such as Diamond, Graphite and more
Have Eight Different kinds of Allotropes : 3 of the are :
Diamond Density : 3.50g/cm³ Mohs Scale : 10 ( Very Hard ) Melting Point for Diamond : 3700 degrees Celsius ( 6700 Fahrenheit ) Boiling Point for Diamond : 4200 degrees Celsius ( 7600 Fahrenheit )
Graphite Density : 1.5g/cm³ - 1.8g/cm³ Mohs Scale : 2.0 - 2.5 Doesn't melt, but sublimes Sublimation Point for Graphite : 3650 degrees Celsius ( 6600 Fahrenheit )
Fullerene ( Bucky Ball ) Density : Mohs Scale : Unknown ( It is a newly discovered Carbon Allotrope ) Melting Point for Fullerene : 280 degrees Celsius ( 536 Fahrenheit ) ( Theoretically ) Sublimation Point for Fullerene : 526 degrees Celsius ( 980 Fahrenheit )( Theoretically )

How Carbon got its name?

Carbon got its name from a Latin Word " Carbo ", meaning charcoal or coal. The name was suggested by its discoverer Antoine Lavoisier.

Uses

Carbon's nearly pure form is coal. Coal is used for fuel and isolating iron from its ore.

Coal

Coal is also one of the essential element in living organisms. Almost every living things have Carbon. From skin to bone. Which is why some people burn their deceased family members as a memorial gemstone. We can be heated into gemstones because our body contains 18% of Carbon. So, with high pressure and high temperature, it is possible for us to be made into a gemstone.

Carbon's most expensive use is its Allotrope, diamonds. Diamonds are made into jewelries. Aside from Jewelries, diamonds have other uses in industrial purposes too. Because Diamond's Mohs Scale is so high ( 10 Mohs, the hardest ), Diamonds are used to polish, grind and cut glass, metals and many other materials. Some oil - drilling machine is made of Diamonds. Some Tungsten wires are also made with Diamonds.

Mohs Scale by Gem Select

As for Graphite, another type of Carbon Allotrope, is used for the structure of pencil lead. The reason Graphite is used is because it can be rubbed of easily. Graphite is also sometimes act as a lubricant. Graphite is added to the space between machine parts which rubs against each other. The use of Graphite is to allow parts to slide over each other smoothly.

Different Pencil Lead Diameter

Besides, Graphite is also used in Nuclear Power Plants. Graphite is the moderator that slows down the neutrons used in the nuclear reaction. Graphite is also used to make black paint, explosives, matches, some cathode ray tubes and more.

As for Graphene, it might have its future uses. Who knows? There might me a transparent handphone screen, foldable phone, a plane that you can see outside without hurting you. No one knows. However, Graphene is now known to be used in Solar Panels, Cars, Airplanes and more.