Charcoal

Charcoal is an organic carbon compound. charcoal is produced by the incomplete combustion of plant and animal products. Charcoal is widely used in outdoor cooking. Charcoal is generally obtained from the burning of plant parts like wood, peat, bones, and cellulose. It is a highly porous microcrystalline structure. Charcoal is mixed with clay to save energy in the brick formation process. It is also known as impure graphite form. Charcoal has a porous texture and a negative electrical charge. When charcoal is obtained from the coal, it is called activated coal.

Structure of Charcoal

Charcoal exists in many different forms. It exists in the impure form as the microcrystalline graphitic form.

The charcoal structure shows it consists of an aromatic structure or carbon (carbon ring with alternate double and single bond). This aromatic structure of charcoal consists of oxygen and carbon-free radicals.

Properties of Charcoal

The properties of Charcoal are given below: 

Physical Properties of Charcoal

• Charcoal exists in a solid amorphous state.

• The colour of the charcoal powder is black.

• Charcoal is a black porous solid that consists of carbon.

• It is a low-density compound.

• Charcoal shows low mechanical strength properties.

• The structure of carbon charcoal shows a large surface area.

• Charcoal acts as a good absorbent. It readily absorbs moisture.

• The high surface area of charcoal and high porosity enhances the contamination of charcoal by incidental contact with dust and soil. Therefore, it requires precautions while storing.

Chemical Properties of Charcoal

• Charcoal is a low ash compound. This property of charcoal makes it a high-value product.

• It is a highly combustible compound.

• It shows high reactivity towards carbon dioxide.

• Charcoal is not easily absorbed in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract 

• Charcoal is not metabolized in the body.

• Charcoal is a high surface area compound. Therefore, it absorbs chemicals in the stomach.

• Charcoal traps the chemicals and carries them out of the body without allowing them to be absorbed into the blood.

Types of Charcoal

1. Activated Charcoal - Activated charcoal is a fine powder black in colour, made from bone char, coconut shells, peat, petroleum coke, and coal. Charcoal gets activated when heated at a high temperature. The heating process for the formation of activated charcoal increases the surface area by reducing the pore size. In this form of charcoal, the number of pores is higher than the other forms of charcoal.

Use of Activated Charcoal

• Activated charcoal traps toxins and harmful chemicals in the gut. It is, therefore, responsible for the prevention of absorption.

• Due to the negative charge in the charcoal, it attracts the positive charged harmful molecules. Therefore, it helps in removing these particles.

2. Wood Charcoal - Wood charcoal is a carbon compound made by strongly heating plant parts (plant wood). It is a lightweight compound. The colour of wood charcoal is black. It exists in a solid state. 

3. BBQ Charcoal - BBQ charcoal is made by compressing sawdust without binders or additives under high temperature and pressure. This type of charcoal is preferred in Taiwan, Korea, Greece, and the Middle East countries. It has a hole through the centre, with a hexagonal intersection. The application of BBQ charcoal is primarily for barbecue as it does not produce any odour, smoke, little ash, high heat upon long burning (more than 4 hours).

4. Coconut Shell Charcoal - Coconut shell charcoal is the form of activated charcoal made up of coconut shells. Therefore, known as activated coconut charcoal. This type of charcoal is used for medicinal purposes. It is used for treating soft tissue and skin infections. It shows antibacterial properties. This form of charcoal is also known as coconut coal.

5. Activated Bamboo Charcoal - In this form, bamboo undergoes a pyrolysis reaction in the absence of oxygen and becomes activated. This form of charcoal is categorised into two types: Raw Bamboo Charcoal and Bamboo BBQ (Briquette) Charcoal.

Use of Charcoal

• Restaurant charcoal is used in restaurants for cooking, heating, and adding flavours to the food.

• Charcoal is used as an absorbent for removing several harmful toxins.

• It is used in emergency medical conditions like the treatment of overdoses and poisoning.

Did You Know?

• Charcoal is used to assist the kidney (nephron) function by filtering toxic chemicals.

• Charcoal is used as a natural water filter.

Importance of learning the Charcoal   

Charcoal is quite important to learn. In this topic, you will get to learn the different features, uses many types, and production methods of Charcoal. Here are some reasons why you should not skip Charcoal: 

• The Charcoal - gives you a clear understanding of the concept and fully prepares you for the exam. 

• By understanding the various topics under Charcoal - you can enhance your knowledge and maintain a strong grasp of the concept. 

• Since charcoal is a crucial part of the chemistry syllabus, you should gain as much knowledge as you can about its uses, properties, structure, types, etc. 

• The Charcoal - hold a major portion of the marking distributions in the exam. So, if you learn everything about these concepts, you will be able to score much higher in your final exams. 

• Learning the Charcoal - will help you learn how different industries use charcoal for manufacturing their products. 

• When you learn the Charcoal - you will get to know about the important topics and questions related to the chapter. It will give you an idea of the importance of a particular topic so that you can prepare accordingly.

Tips to Understand the Charcoal

Learning the Charcoal - will not be difficult, especially when you are studying from Vedantu’s learning platform. Keep the following tips and tricks in mind when learning this chapter: 

• Remember to make notes while learning the Charcoal - You can refer to these notes during revisions and save your time as you don’t have to go through the entire chapter again.

• Devote an equal amount of your time and attention to every topic in the Charcoal - ensure that you understand the concepts clearly. 

• You can use Vedantu’s e-learning platform to study the Charcoal - We provide detailed explanations of all the topics in lucid language to make your learning process smooth and steady. 

• Once you are done with the Charcoal - try out different questions to check your knowledge and see whether you have understood the topics completely or not. 

• Use as many study materials as you can get to learn the concepts covered in Charcoal

• Refer to many reference books, revision notes, important questions, etc. that are related to Charcoal to understand the concepts even better.