Carbon and Its Importance

Introduction to Carbon

One of the most important elements in life is carbon. Just like our life runs on oxygen, plants also need carbon for its functioning. Without carbon, it would have been extremely difficult to stay in this world. All the compounds that are mainly found in living things are called organic compounds. Hence Carbon is also regarded as an organic compound as it is a part of the living forms and is very important in carrying out life processes. Carbon has an atomic number 6 which means that it consists of 6 protons in the nucleus. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent in nature which means that it can make four bonds. To know more about Carbon and its Importance - Characteristics, Importance, Properties, and Uses, students can also refer to Vedantu where a lot of information is provided in a much more detailed view.

What is Carbon?

Carbon can be defined as a chemical element that is the most common, having the symbol C with atomic number 6. In the periodic table, this element is a member of group 14.

The name carbon has derived from the Latin word “carbo,” which is meant by coal. The crust of Earth is the 15th most abundant element and the 4th most abundant element after helium, hydrogen, and oxygen.

In this article, you will get to discuss more on the importance of the carbon element.

Carbon Element Explained

When Carbon atoms are bonded together in various forms, they are referred to as allotropes of carbon. A few of the best-known allotropes are graphite, amorphous carbon, and diamond. Graphite is one of the known substances for its softness, and diamond is known for its hardness. The physical properties of carbon may vary from the allotropic form. 

For Example, Diamond is transparent, and Graphite is opaque. It bonds with the other small atoms, including other carbon atoms, and it can develop multiple stable covalent bonds.

Characteristics of Carbon

• Carbon is Non-metallic, and it has a Tetravalent bond.

• Naturally, it has 3 occurring isotopes( ¹²C, ¹³C - stable, and ¹⁴C - radioactive)

• It also has various allotropes, and the best known can be given as diamond, amorphous carbon, and graphite.

• It holds a high melting point and can combine easily with oxygen at elevated temperatures.

• This element acts as an excellent hardener for iron and yields different steel alloys.

• The radioactive isotope of carbon can be given as C-14, used to date the ancient objects of organic origin.

The chemical Reactivity of Carbon:

1. Carbon has high reactivity for a lot of smaller atoms and forms stable covalent bonds.

2. Carbon is weakly reactive even though it does react with a lot of atoms.

3. At standard temperature and pressure when carbon is available it tends to avoid oxidation and does not react with hydrochloric acid, chlorine, or any alkali metals.

4. Carbon tends to react with oxygen to provide carbon oxides and with metals to provide metal carbides at higher temperatures.

Importance of Carbon

• Carbon is more important for every known living system, and life could not exist without this element. 

• It can be available in hydrocarbon form other than food and wood, such as methane gas, crude oil, and fossil fuel. 

• Carbon fibres contain multiple uses because they have the attributes as, yet lightweight, strong, and durable material. 

• These fibres can be used in making fishing rods, tennis rackets, even rockets, and airplanes. Industrial diamonds are used for cutting and drilling rocks.

Physical and Biological Role

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is one of the carbon forms, an essential element present in the water and air to sustain life on earth. Photosynthesis through green plants collects their energy from the sun in order to break down water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The living organisms that cannot continue the photosynthesis process are bound to rely on other living organisms to consume their carbon dioxide molecules as the minimum requirements. Therefore, a balance of carbon and oxygen is essential for the survival of almost all living organisms on this entire planet.

Some Important Carbon Compounds

1. Saturated Carbon Compounds

Carbon compounds, satisfied by the single bond between them, are called saturated compounds. One of the examples of this is Ethane - C₂H₆

Here, the octet or duplet of both the atoms is fully completed only by a single bond.

2. Unsaturated Carbon Compounds

Atoms that are only satisfied either by double or triple bonds are called unsaturated carbon compounds. One of the examples of this is Ethene - C₂H₄, which is an unsaturated carbon compound, having a double bond.

Biological Importance of Carbon

Let us look at the importance of carbon compounds in biology because there is a need for carbon compounds.

Probably, carbon is the most important building block in almost all organic molecules (except for water) required for life. Compounds such as proteins, DNA, and fat all contain carbon.

A carbon molecule can make a huge compound array because the carbon atoms can form 4 bonds with several other elements such as nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, other carbon atoms, halogens, and even some metals too. These can further form into the simple amino acids, which are the building blocks of life, but they can also form into the long molecular chains that create compounds such as bones in our body or wood in trees.

Carbon is capable of forming bonds because the outer valence of a carbon molecule holds 4 electrons but needs 8 to be filled. Hence, it will share the remaining electrons with other atoms to fill its outer valence. There are very few stable elements similar to carbon that can readily react with as many elements as possible, making the carbon atom quite a good building block.

Uses of Carbon Compounds

Some common uses of carbon compounds are:

• Carbon can be used as a decorative tool in jewelry pieces.

• Fossil fuels such as crude oil, methane gas, diesel, petrol contain high carbon percentages.

• It is used as a base for the ink to use in inkjet printers.

• It can be used in automobile rims as a black fume pigment.

Uses of Carbon in the Human Body

• Carbon acts as a macronutrient for the body in carbohydrate form. This is substantiated by the fact that each body part requires and contains large amounts of carbon.

• Activated charcoal can be used in medicine to absorb multiple gases or toxins produced in the human body.

Carbon Uses in Everyday Life

Let us look at some uses of carbon compounds in everyday life.

• Graphite can be used as the lead in pencils and is also used in steel production.

• Amorphous carbon can be used in making paints and inks and in batteries.