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Carbon-The Element
Carbon, represented by the symbol C, is a non-metallic element. It has six positvely charged protons and six neutrally charged neutrons in its nucleus, as well as six negatively charged electrons in the surrounding electron cloud. When the number of neutrons in carbon atoms vary the different carbon atoms are called isotopes. Three naturally occuring isotopes of carbon are: carbon-12 (six neutrons), carbon-13 (seven neutrons), and carbon-14 (eight neutrons). Carbon-12 is the most abudant form of carbon and accounts for 98.89% of all carbon on earth. The mass of a carbon atom is 12.011 atomic mass units.
Carbon's electrons occur in layers, or shells, surrounding the nucleus. The inner shell is full with two electrons and the outer shell contains four electrons, which are called valence electrons. The outer shell can hold eight electrons and atoms are considered stable when their outer shell is filled. Thus to become stable, carbon will form four covalent bonds with other atoms to fill the outer shell. A covalent bond occurs when two atoms share electrons with one another.
Click to see carbon on the periodic table
Sources:
Winter, Mark. 2003. The University of Sheffield. "Carbon". Chemistry: WebElements Periodic Table.
Lutz, P. 2005. "Carbon". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2005.
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