Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
carbon
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images, Videos & Interactives
carbon
Why is carbon called the element of life?
bituminous coal fullerene Explore an interactive periodic table of the elements kimberlite Hope diamond
What is graphene?
carbon cycle Keeling Curve
For Students
carbon summary
Quizzes
Concept artwork on the periodic table of elements.
118 Names and Symbols of the Periodic Table Quiz
Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)
Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz
hot flying sparks, loud firework exploding, pyrotechnic gunpowder sulfur blast, explosive
The Stuff That Things Are Made Of
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes
Read Next
Reflections in a diamond. (gem; cut gemstone; optics; refraction)
Cold Stones: 9 Gems That Will Make You Feel Like a Peasant
Discover
Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species
Berries and leaves of the bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) plant. Poisonous plant
7 of the World’s Deadliest Plants
Aurochs. Bos primigenius. Skeleton. Extinct animal. Skeleton of an Aurochs, an extinct wild ox.
6 Animals We Ate Into Extinction
Internet http://www blue screen. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, media news television, crowd opinion protest, In the News 2009, breaking news
Who Invented the Internet?
Happy, smiling, flying pig
7 Everyday English Idioms and Where They Come From
Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin, and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest emergence of cicadas anywhere
Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?
Poker game. Card game. Royal Flush in poker. Hearts suit gambling
Poker Hands Ranked

carbon: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/carbon-chemical-element
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As C

Photos and Videos

carbon
bituminous coal
fullerene
kimberlite
Hope diamond
carbon cycle
Keeling Curve
Iron-carbon equilibrium diagram.
nuclear binding energies
Figure 1: A schematic representation of the biogeochemical cycle of carbon.
Why is carbon called the element of life?
What is graphene?
How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning
Understand the carbon and oxygen cycles in the atmosphere
How iron is turned into steel
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Robert Curl
American chemist
Kekule
August Kekule von Stradonitz
German chemist
Sir Harold W. Kroto
British chemist
John Ulric Nef
American chemist
Archibald Scott Couper
Scottish chemist
Barkla, Charles Glover
Charles Glover Barkla
British physicist

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Concept artwork on the periodic table of elements.
118 Names and Symbols of the Periodic Table Quiz
Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)
Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes
hot flying sparks, loud firework exploding, pyrotechnic gunpowder sulfur blast, explosive
The Stuff That Things Are Made Of