Part VII

Carbon
Carbon is a solid non-metallic chemical element (symbol C) occurring in the
pure crystalline form as diamond and graphite. It is also found in the combined form
as a constituent of all organic materials, including coal and petroleum, and of
inorganic compounds such as limestone and baking powder. Despite its wide
distribution, carbon constitutes only 0.19 per cent of the earths crust.
The two elementary forms of carbon have very different properties. In
diamond the atmos so tightly bound one to another that it provides man with his
hardest known substance. On the other hand, the second crystalline form of carbon,
graphite, is a soft black substance with atoms hexagonally arranged in parallel
sheets. Each sheet is only loosely bound to that above and to that below it, giving
graphite a slippery feeling and explaining its use as a lubricant and in writing
instruments. The lead of lead pencils is basically graphite.
Another important difference between diamond and graphite is that of
electrical conductivity. Diamond is a non-conductor while graphite conducts in the
direction parallel to the hexagonal sheets. Both have high melting and boiling
points.
The optical properties of diamond are extremely significant. It has the highest
index of refraction of any familiar gemstone and therefore reflects more light back
to the eye than any other gem. It also has remarkable dispersive power. The light
is broken up into the colours of the spectrum. These optical factors combined with
the unusual clarity and transparency of the mineral, give the diamond its brilliance.
Over 90% of the worlds diamonds come from South Africa where they are found in
kimberlite rock in the craters of extinct volcanoes. It takes several tons of kimberlite
obtained from the earth by mining methods to yield a fraction of a carat of perfect
diamond. The popular interest in diamonds concentrates on their value as
gemstone, but the stones have greater value as industrial tools. Industrial diamond
tools may be used to drill or shape glass and ceramic articles and to grind and
polish steels. Artificial diamonds have been produced by heating and compressing
carbon in the form of graphite or carbon-containing compounds such as
carbonhydrates.
At low temperatures all forms of carbon are relatively inert, but at elevated
temperatures will combine with oxygen to form oxides. Any form of carbon when
combined with a large quantity of oxygen at an elevated temperatures forms carbon
monoxide. Carbon monoxide is also formed in the incomplete combustion of
petroleum products and is found in appreciable percentages in the automobile
exhaust. Elementary carbon, when heated in an atmosphere of excess oxygen, is
converted to the dioxide. Carbon dioxide is moderately non-reactive.materials which
burn at relatively low temperature, such as wood, petroleum products and paper, do

not continue to burn in CO2 for this reason carbon dioxide is used as a firesuppressing agent in fire extinguishers. Carbon is stable towards water but
undergoes slight oxidation when heated with the oxidizingacids. In reaction with
alkali, however, it does not suffer any attack.

Exercise:
1. As here means :
a. in the form of
b. since
c. similar to
2. What does it in paragraph three refer to?
3. Summarize the paragraph by completing the following diagram.
Name of element

Carbon

Forms

Examples
Diamon
d

crystallin
e

Graphite
As a constituent of

Examples
combined

Organic
material

Inorganic
compoun

Coal

Limestone

4. Hard is the opposite of soft

5. The word that appears twice in this sentence. What does it refer to each time?
6. What gives graphite its slippery feeling and explains its uses mentioned?
7. Complete the following table to show what determines the properties given in the
table.
SUBSTANCE
Diamonds
Graphite

MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
Tightly bound
Loosely bound

PROPERTY
Hard
Soft

8. In what other ways are diamond and graphite different? In what ways are they
similar?

Electrical conductivity, high melting and boiling points

9. What explains diamonds ability to reflect so much light back to the eye?
It has the highest index of refraction of any familiar gemstone.
10. What phrase explains the meaning of dispersive power?
The light is broken up into the colours of the spectrum

11. Diamonds are found in kimberlite rock. Several tons of kimberlite are necessary
to yield a fraction of
a carat of perfect diamond.
What does Yield mean in this context? Produce
12. What are needed in order to produce artificial diamonds? ( answer is b )
a. Graphite, carbon, containing compounds and carbohydrates
b. Either Graphite or carbon-containing compound
c. Graphite and carbohydrates.

13. At high temperatures carbon reacts, but at low temperatures, it is inert. What
can be deduced as the
meaning of inert?
14. What is found in an automobile exhaust? Carbon monoxide
15. What are wood, peroleum products and paper examples of?
Materials which burn at relatively low temperature
16. Why is CO2 used as a fire-supressing agent?
17. An oxidizing acid is an acid which causes oxidation. Carbon undergoes oxidation
when heated with
These acids,
Carbon undergoes oxidation means: ( answer is b )
a. carbon causes oxidation
b. carbon suffers oxidation
c. carbon combines with oxidation
18. What are two differences between diamond and graphite?
Electrical conductivity and molecular structure
19. Complete the following table to show how carbon combines with oxygen.

FORM OF CARBON
Any form

AMOUNT OF OXYGEN
Large quantity

20. In what two ways carbon monoxide produced?

RESULT
Carbon monoxide