Every Living Thing Is Built on Carbon
Carbon is the element that forms the backbone of life. Its ability to bond with itself makes millions of compounds possible.
Carbon is the chemical element with atomic number six. Its importance rests on one property: carbon atoms bond readily to each other in chains and rings, so a single element can build molecules of almost unlimited complexity. Every known organism is built on that framework, which is why chemistry divides into organic — carbon-based — and everything else.
- A chemical element. *Pure carbon.*
- Carbon emissions. *Reduce our carbon.*
- A carbon copy. *A carbon copy of the original.*
- Carbon fibre. *A carbon frame.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | carbon | Elemental carbon. |
| Adjective | carbonic | Carbonic acid. |
| Compound | carbon dioxide | Carbon dioxide levels. |
| Compound | carbon footprint | A large carbon footprint. |
| Related | organic | Organic chemistry. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon.Same element, different structure.
- Carbon dating measures decay of carbon-14.Archaeology.
- Send me a copy — the cc in email is *carbon copy*.From carbon paper.
Forms of pure carbon
- Diamond — each atom bonded to four others, the hardest natural material
- Graphite — sheets that slide over each other, which is why pencils write
- Graphene — a single sheet of graphite, one atom thick
- Fullerenes — hollow cages, including the football-shaped buckyball
- Amorphous carbon — soot and charcoal, without regular structure
From French *carbone*, from Latin *carbo*, coal or charcoal. The email abbreviation *cc* preserves carbon paper, long after the paper disappeared.
Why are diamond and graphite so different?
Because of structure, not composition. Diamond bonds each atom to four neighbours in a rigid lattice; graphite forms sheets that slide apart.
What does cc stand for in email?
Carbon copy, from the sheets of carbon paper once used to make duplicates of a typed letter.