Fun Facts about Carbon

Carbon Fun Facts

Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe and the basis for life on earth. Carbon is found in all living organisms. Carbon is not metallic and has the ability to bond with many other chemicals to form almost ten million different compounds. These compounds are as different as diamonds, one of the hardest materials on earth, and graphite, one of the softest. Scientists don’t think that carbon was made in the Big Bang but it is made in the interior of stars. Carbon is one of the oldest elements known to man. Carbon is used in a wide range of products and industries including fossil fuels, smoke detectors and radiocarbon dating. The word “carbon” comes from the Latin word for “coal”. Carbon is essential to life because of its ability to bind strongly to itself as well as to form thousands of compounds. This enables it to form long chains of atoms which can become the basis for various compounds in living cells, including DNA. One of the most interesting facts about carbon is that although it is the basis of life, in some of its forms and compounds it can be extremely deadly and harmful to life.

Carbon has become a very hot topic lately in terms of the environment. There is an essentially fixed amount of carbon in the universe. However, we are releasing more and more carbon in the form of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere which is a huge cause of global warming. Much of the carbon dioxide that is being released into the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. People are becoming concerned about their “carbon footprint” or the amount of carbon dioxide their way of life produces. As awareness of climate change and human impact on the environment grows, a new industry has sprung off that allows consumers to purchase carbon offsets to help reduce greenhouse emissions and neutralize their carbon footprint. One of the best and least expensive ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air is to plant more trees. Just one tree can absorb as much as forty-eight pounds of carbon dioxide from the air in one year. Aside from the negative effects of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is present and useful in our everyday lives. Dry ice is carbon dioxide in solid form. Carbon dioxide provides the carbonation for soft drinks and is also found in fire extinguishers.

Carbon monoxide is another form of carbon that can be harmful. Carbon monoxide is extremely toxic and acts on the red blood cells in your body. It prevents them from carrying oxygen, essentially causing asphyxiation. Anytime fuel, be it gas, oil, wood or charcoal, burns it releases both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. It is critical that there be proper ventilation wherever fuel will be burned to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Methane, another carbon-based compound, is also a greenhouse gas. Its levels are increasing the atmosphere due in large part to the livestock sector and solid waste landfills.