3.29 Carbon Bonding
3.29 Carbon Bonding
- Explain why carbon is found in most compounds.
- Describe how carbon forms bonds.
Spiral structures like the one pictured here could replace batteries in the future because they can store energy like
a spring and conduct electricity. The structure is a tiny nanotube that consists entirely of carbon atoms. Carbon
nanotubes are made in labs, but carbon-based compounds are also the most common naturally occurring compounds
on Earth. More than 90 percent of all known compounds contain carbon. Do you know why carbon is found in so
many compounds? Read on to find out. If you first want to learn more about carbon nanotubes, go to this URL: http
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxD3vfg3Nd8.
Carbon, Carbon Everywhere
Carbon is a very common “ingredient” of matter because it can combine with itself and with many other elements.
It can form a great diversity of compounds, ranging in size from just a few atoms to thousands of atoms. There are
millions of known carbon compounds, and carbon is the only element that can form so many different compounds.
You can find a good introduction to carbon and its chemistry at this URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjn5H
t0Vn30
Valence Electrons in Carbon
Carbon is a nonmetal in group 14 of the periodic table. Like other group 14 elements, carbon has four valence
electrons. Valence electrons are the electrons in the outer energy level of an atom that are involved in chemical
bonds. The valence electrons of carbon are shown in the electron dot diagram in theFigure3.45.