Carbon

chemistry · building blocks of life · elements

Atomic number 6. Carbon has 6 protons in its nucleus and is element number 6 on the periodic table. It's a nonmetallic element, meaning it doesn't conduct electricity or shine like metals do.

Super bonding power. Carbon atoms can form up to four covalent bonds with other atoms, which means they can link together in countless different ways. This flexibility is why carbon can make so many different substances.

Rare on Earth. Even though carbon is everywhere in living things, it only makes up about 0.025 percent of Earth's solid crust. That's actually pretty scarce when you think about the whole planet.

Ancient and radioactive. Carbon has been known since ancient times, and it has three natural isotopes. One kind called carbon-14 slowly breaks down over 5,700 years, which scientists use to figure out how old ancient things are.

Makes diamonds and graphite. The same carbon atoms can arrange themselves in different ways to create diamonds (super hard and sparkly) or graphite (soft and dark, used in pencils). The arrangement is what makes them so different.