Exploring the Elements: Carbon

Exploring the Elements: Carbon — page 1
Introduction Carbon is an amazing element its properties ranging from hard to soft light to dark clear to opaque When the carbon atoms line up to form a diamond carbon carbon is one of the hardest substances in the known world Diamond will scratch anything But if those carbon atoms are arranged in a different way the carbon becomes graphite a soft substance that is used in pencils Carbon can be colorless when it is diamond and black in color when it is graphite Graphite conducts electricity well whereas diamond is a good insulator meaning that it doesn’t Carbon or C as it is known by its chemical symbol is an element Elements are those basic substances think of them like building blocks that are made from only one type of atom So carbon is made from carbon atoms An element cannot be chemically broken down into a simpler substance When two or more different elements are chemically bonded together they become a compound 4