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Carbon

CARBON

. Carbon has been known to humans in its various forms since ancient times. Although carbon makes up only .03% of the earth's crust, it is very widely distributed and forms a vast number of compounds. It is one of the most important chemical elements in existence. Carbon is a very complex element and is used for many different things in life. Carbon is found in many different types of compounds. It is in the clothes you wear, the food you eat, the gasoline you use to fill up your car, and even the makeup that women use everyday.
Carbon has the chemical symbol C. Carbon’s atomic number is 6 and its atomic weight is about 12. Carbon has four electrons in its valence shell. Since this energy shell can hold eight electrons, each carbon atom can share electrons with up to four different atoms. Carbon can combine with other elements as well as with itself. This allows carbon to form many different compounds of varying size and shape.
Carbon exists in the stars; a s...

Posted by: Jessica Linton

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