History/Uses Carbon is an element that has been there since the beginning, and it is all around us. It is the necessary component for life. All living things need carbon to survive. No one really discovered since it was already there, except maybe God. It can form a great variety of compounds, around 10 million known carbon compounds have been discovered. Most of which are vital for organic and life processes. Like for example, when it is combined with oxygen, it forms carbon dioxide which is necessary for plant growth. It is relatively safe to deal with but some carbon compounds are poisonous.

Name:	Carbon	Symbol:	C
Atomic #:	6	Atomic Weight:	12.011
Group:	Non-metal	Discovered:	Always been there

Melting Pt:	6422°F	Boiling Pt:	6917°F
Room Temp:	Solid	Color:	Depends on form
Structure:	Hexagonal	Uses:	Fuel,Lubricant

Carbon has 3 isotopes, and its percent abundance with a mass number of 12 is 98.90. For Carbon-13, its percent is around 1.10. Depending on its form, carbon can be a good and poor conductor. For example, diamond is a poor conductor of electricity, but is a good conductor of heat. Graphite on the other hand is a good conductor of both heat and electricity. The word carbon derives from the Latin name for burnt wood. It was first listed as in element by Robert Boyle,but there is no real discoverer.