Element | Carbon

College Information Packets

Find schools and get information on college programs.

Powered by Campus Explorer

Carbon forms the backbone of organic molecules and exists as graphite, diamond and amorphous forms with unique properties.

Properties of Carbon | It forms four covalent bonds, enabling vast chemical diversity, and exhibits high thermal stability in certain allotropes.

Uses of Carbon | Ubiquitous in living systems and fossil fuels, carbon is used in materials, energy, polymers and nanotechnology.

Isotopes of Carbon | Stable isotopes C 12 and C 13 and radioactive C 14 are important in dating and tracer studies; elemental carbon dust can pose inhalation hazards.