carbon

Oh boy if you have to ask. It is a non metallic element. "C" Element a substace that can not be seperated into other sustaces by ordinary chemical techniques.

Substace = Matter. Matter = physical body that witch exists.

Forms of carbon Graphite, Charcoal, Diamond. are just some forms of carbon.

For further reference consult a good dictionary.

Organic life chemistry that based on carbon.

Entry on carbon from Wikipedia.com

Good old Wiki.

hi dudes,

it 'll be better if u comment more on the question.

however, is carbon present in atomsphere as a gas like O₂ ,H₂ etc. ?

carbon reacts with O₂ to form CO₂ . C also plays vital role in material selection .

so, would you mind to make me understood more about carbon !

thanx dudes

Here is the first few paragaphs from Wiki that Chris linked you to. As you will see carbon is a very large subject that takes more than a few forum enteries to answer. Wiki will also link you and number of additional sources of information on carbon and it role in our universe.

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Overview of carbon importance on Earth

As the free element it forms allotropes from differing kinds of carbon-carbon bonds, such as in graphite and diamond. Coal is the main source of carbon in mineral form, containing up 95% of carbon in Anthracite. Recently discovered nanostructured forms called fullerenes that include buckyballs such as C60, nanotubes, and nanofibers . Because of their high strength-to-weight ratio, it is hoped that many of these carbon compounds will soon be practical for use in advanced structural composite materials.

Not only can carbon also bond with itself, but it can also form chains with a wide variety of other elements, forming nearly ten million known compounds.

Carbon-containing polymers, often with oxygen and nitrogen atoms included at regular intervals in the main polymer chain, form the basis of nearly all industrial commercial plastics.

Carbon occurs in all organic life and is the basis of organic chemistry. When united with oxygen, carbon forms carbon dioxide, which is the main carbon source for plant growth. When united with hydrogen, it forms various flammable compounds called hydrocarbons which are essential to industry in the form of fossil fuels, and also other important living plant components like carotenoids and terpenes. When combined with oxygen and hydrogen, carbon can form many groups of important biological compounds including sugars, celluloses, lignans, chitins, alcohols, fats, and aromatic esters. With nitrogen it forms alkaloids, and with the addition of sulfur also it forms antibiotics, amino acids and proteins. With the addition of phosphorus to these other elements, it forms DNA and RNA, the chemical codes of life.

[edit] Notable characteristics of carbon

Carbon exhibits remarkable properties, some paradoxical. Different forms include the hardest naturally occurring substance (diamond) and one of the softest substances (graphite) known. Moreover, it has a great affinity for bonding with other small atoms, including other carbon atoms, and its small size makes it capable of forming multiple bonds. Because of these properties, carbon is known to form nearly ten million different compounds, the large majority of all chemical compounds. Carbon compounds form the basis of all life on Earth and the carbon-nitrogen cycle provides some of the energy produced by the Sun and other stars. Moreover, carbon has the highest melting/sublimation point of all elements. At atmospheric pressure it has no actual melting point as its triple point is at 10 MPa (100 bar) so it sublimates above 4000 K. Thus it remains solid at higher temperatures than the highest melting point metals like tungsten or rhenium, irrespective of its allotropic form.

Although it forms an incredible variety of compounds, most forms of carbon are comparatively unreactive under normal conditions. At standard temperature and pressure, it resists all but the strongest oxidizers (such as fluorine and nitric acid). It does not react with sulfuric acid, chlorine or any alkalis. At elevated temperatures it of course reacts with oxygen in flames.

Because its formation requires a triple collision of alpha particles (helium nuclei) that the rapid expansion and cooling of the universe prohibited, carbon was not created during the Big Bang. The universe initially expanded and cooled too fast for that to be possible. The interiors of stars in the horizontal branch transform a helium core into carbon by means of the triple-alpha process. In order to be available for formation of life as we know it, this carbon must then later be scattered into space as dust in supernovae explosions, as part of the material which forms second-generation star systems with planets accreted from such dust.

[edit] Applications

Carbon is essential to all known living systems, and without it life as we know it could not exist (see alternative biochemistry). The major economic use of carbon not in living or formerly-living material (such as food and wood) is in the form of hydrocarbons, most notably the fossil fuel methane gas and crude oil (petroleum). Crude oil is used by the petrochemical industry to produce, amongst others, gasoline and kerosene, through a distillation process, in refineries. Crude oil forms the raw material for many synthetic substances, many of which are collectively called plastics.

What do you want a pesonal tutor. I charge for my time. £120/hour but this is for free so what do expect a written essay.

MR. BRAIN WAVE

WHY R U POLLUTING THIS PLACE, IF U DON'T HAV THE KNOWLEDGE PLZ KEEP QUITE.

I'M IN DOUBT WHETHER U HAV A BRAIN !

If you would take a moment and read the entire thread you will see that BrainWave has given a reasonable answer to the original posted question and so has Chris.

Your use of all capitol letters, your inability to use complete words and your choice to insult BrainWave clearly shows your lack of understanding of forum etiquette. In future posts please try to avoid the excessive use of capitol letters and avoid using Ebonics or other shorthand writing styles and your messages will be better received.

You insult me I sue you. Ever heard of Libel or deformation the courts have and you can be traced.

http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/C/key.html