• Symbol :C
• Valency :4
• At. Mass : 12 amu
• At. No. :6
• Electronic configuration : 1s2 2s2 2p2
Free state : diamond , graphite, coal .
Combined state: form of carbonates , oxides, hydrocarbon, petroleum gases etc
.
The first element in the group IV A (14) in the
periodic table .
When an element exists in two or more different forms with different physical and
similar chemical properties/different chemical properties in some extent, the different
forms of elements are K/A Allotropes or allotropic form or allotropic modification.
This phenomenon is K/A Allotropy.
Non crystalline forms
(amorphous)
• Diamond
• Coal
• Graphite
• Coke
• Fullerene
• Carbon black
• Gas carbon
Crystalline forms • Charcoal
. Each C-atom is tetrahedrally linked with 4 surrounding C-atoms through
strong covalent bonds that makes diamond extremely hard with high [Link].
. The bond angle = 109.5 , and
Diamond is the purest form of carbon.
the C–C bond length = 1.54 Å .
It is hardest substance known.
It is colourless when pure, and transparent to X – rays. It is hardest substance.
It is bad conductor of heat and electricity . All the valence electrons of each carbon
are used to form sigma bonds , there is no more free electrons hence can’t conduct
heat and electricity.
It has very high density. (3.51 at 15° C )
It has very high refractive index (2.417).
It’ melting point 3750° C
It is resistance with almost all chemical reagents but in air at 900° C to give CO2 gas.
It changes to graphite above 1800°C
In jewelry as a precious stone.
For drilling & polishing hard materials.
Impure diamond like carbonado is used for cutting glass
and boring or drilling rocks.
Diamond is weighted in carat , 1 carat =0.2 gm .
Crystalline forms
• Diamond
• Graphite
Graphite is widely distributed in nature .
• Fullerene
It is known as black lead (Greek , grapho-I write ).
Graphite is the most stable allotropes of carbon.
Artificially it is prepared by heating a mixture of
silica and coke in an electric furnace at 3000°C.
SiO2 + 3C 2CO + SiC
Silicon carbide
SiC Si + C
Graphite
Crystalline forms
• Diamond
In graphite , each carbon atom is linked with three
• Graphite
surrounding carbon atoms directly in the same plane to give
• Fullerene
hexagonal rings. These rings are arranged to form co-
planar sheets or layers .
These layers held together by van der waals force of
attraction i.e. they easily slide over one another.
Crystalline forms
• Diamond
• Graphite
• Fullerene
Since only three electrons of each carbon involved to form
three sigma bonds the fourth valence electron of each
carbon is free this makes graphite good conductor of
electricity.
It is greyish black crystalline solid .
It is soft and slippery in nature because different layers of
carbon atoms are held by weak van der Walls force of
attraction .
Its specific gravity is 2.2 .
It is good conductor of electricity .
It is resistance towards almost all chemical reagents . It burns
in air to give CO2 .
C + O2 CO2
graphite
as lubricant for heavy machines due to its slippery and soft nature.
The delocalised electrons are free to move through the structure, so graphite
can conduct electricity. This makes graphite useful for electrodes in batteries and
for electrolysis.
used to make crucible because it can with stand high pressure.
used to make lead pencils.
used as a moderator to slow down fast moving neutrons in atomic reactors.
latest discovered allotropes of carbon (1985) by two
American scientists Richard E. Smalley and Robert F.
Curl and a British scientist Harold W. Kroto .
awarded Noble Price in chemistry in 1996
Buckyball were named Buckminister fullerene in
honor of American architect, Richard Buckminster
Fuller.
Fullerenes consist of hollow cage of carbon
atoms. Fullerenes are spheroidal molecules
Two important fullerene are C60 & C70.
C60 has soccer ball shape and contain 60
carbon atoms as twenty hexagons and
twelve pentagons.
C70 has rugby ball shape. (25 hexagons
and 12 pentagons)
Fullerene are soluble in organic solvents.
They easily react with alkali metals e.g.
K3C60 which is super conductor at 16k.
To prepare super conductor .
To trap certain metals ions such as calcium, gold etc inside the carbon clusters.
1. Coal:
It is black or brownish black solid formed in nature as a result of slow decomposition of
wood or vegetable matter under the influence of high temperature and high pressure in
absence of air eg. anthracite, bituminous coal. Coal is used in the manufacture of fuel gas and
as reducing agent.
Peat (Precursor of coal) Lignite (Brown Coal) Bituminous coal
contains 25%-35% carbon (Black or dark Brown) Anthracite (hard coal)
contains 35%-45% carbon contains 86%-98 % carbon
used almost exclusively as a fuel
Anthracite, often referred to as hard coal, is a hard, compact
for steam-electric power generation.
variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the
Lignite is the most harmful coal to
highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the
human health
highest energy density of all types of coal and is the
highest ranking of coals.
2. Coke:
It is grey, hard and porous solid, with high carbon content and few impurities, obtained by
destructive distillation of mine coal (heating in absence of air ).
It is mainly used as a fuel ( burns without smoke ) and as reducing agent.
Raw Coke
Coke is a grey, hard, and porous fuel with a high carbon content and few impurities, made by
heating coal or oil in the absence of air—a destructive distillation process. It is an important industrial
product, used mainly in iron ore smelting, but also as a fuel in stoves and forges when air pollution is a
concern.
3. Carbon black:
It is soft black powder obtained by burning carbon rich compounds
eg. terpentine oil, petroleum etc, in limited supply of air. It is mainly used
in the manufacture of motor tyres, shoe polishes, black paint. It is used
in printers.
Subtypes
Carbon black is considered possibly carcinogenic to humans and classified as a Group 2B acetylene black,
carcinogen because there is sufficient evidence in experimental animals with inadequate channel black,
evidence in human epidemiological studies furnace black,
lamp black and
Carbon black has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, albeit lower than that of activated thermal black
carbon.
4. Gas carbon:
It is obtained as a deposited mass on the sides and roofs of retorts in which coal is
destructively distilled during the manufacture of coal gas . It is good conductor of heat and
electricity similar to graphite. It is used for making electrodes and crucibles.
It is lightweight soft black, porous solid carbon residue, consisting of an amorphous form of
carbon, obtained by destructive distillation of wood, bone or other organic matter.
Wood Charcoal •It is soft black, porous solid obtained by
destructive distillation of wood.
Animal Charcoal
•Wood charcoal is highly porous and contain vast
internal surface area i.e. it absorbs many times of
Sugar Charcoal
its volume of gases e.g. NH3, H2S and Cl2.
•It is used as a fuel, gun powder, decolourizing
agent and purifying drinking water.
• It is also called bone black obtained by
Wood Charcoal
destructive distillation of animal bone .
Animal Charcoal • Animal charcoal contain 10% carbon and
Sugar Charcoal other calcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2 .
• It is used in decolourization of sugar and
organic compounds.
It is obtained by the action of conc . H2SO4 on
Wood Charcoal sugar.
Animal Charcoal C12H22O11 + conc.H2SO4 H2SO4 . 11H2O + 12 C
Sugar Charcoal
Sugar Charcoal
or obtained by heating sugar in absence of air .
C12H22O11 Absence of air 12C + 11 H2O
When equal amount of different allotropes of carbon in pure forms are burnt completely in
excess air in a closed vessel they produce equal amount of CO2 gas.
C + O2 CO2
which is only possible if different allotropes of carbon have same chemical properties .
If equal amounts (1 gm) of diamond & (1 gm) graphite are in excess air. Then the gases
formed are passed separately into the already weighted KOH solutions. Then the increased
weight of two KOH solutions are found to be equal (3.67gm).
This proves that all the allotropic forms of carbon contain carbon element only .
CO2 + 2 KOH K2CO3 + H2O
Carbon Carbon
Monoxide(CO) Dioxide(CO2)
Water gas = CO + H2
Producer gas = CO + N2
Coal gas = CO + H2 + CH4 + CO2
first prepared by Lassone in 1776 by reducing ZnO with carbon . It does not exist in nature but it occurs
in smokes of tobacco, volcanic gases and automobile exhaust gases.
PREPARATION
1. By burning carbon or carbon rich compounds in limited supply of air .
2C + O2 CO 2 C + 2 O2 2 CO2
limited excess
CO is also produced by passing CO2 gas over heated carbon .
CO2 + C 2 CO
2. By reduction of heavy metallic oxide with carbon.
ZnO + C Zn + CO
Fe2O3 + 3 C 2 Fe + 3CO
Lab preparation of carbon monoxide(CO)
PRINCIPLE
In laboratory CO is prepared:
a) From oxalic acid
By heating oxalic acid with conc.H2SO4
COOH
+ H2SO4(conc.) H2SO4 . H2O + CO2 + CO
COOH
PHYSICAL PROPERTES
1. It is colourless tasteless with faint smell.
2. It is slightly soluble in water ,3 vol. of CO gas dissolves in 130 volume of
water at 0°C.
3. It is lighter than air.
4. It is poisonous gas. When CO is inhaled it combines with hemoglobin
and forms carboxy hemoglobin and destroy oxygen carrying capacity
of blood, and causes suffocation and even death.
1. Combustability
It is combustible but non supporter of combustion and burns with pale
blue flame.
2CO + O2 2CO2 + Heat
2. Reducing nature
It is a good reducing agent because it easily oxidized into CO2 .
a. It reduces metallic oxides into free metal
ZnO + CO Zn + CO2
PbO + CO Pb + CO2
Fe2O3 + 3CO 600-900°C 3Fe + 3CO2
Fe3O4 + 4CO 3Fe + 4CO2
b. It reduce I2O5 into I2
I2 O5 + 5CO I2 + 5CO2
c. It reduces ammoniacal silver nitrate ( Tollen’s reagents ) solution into metallic
silver .
2[Ag(NH3)2] OH + CO 2Ag + H2O + CO2 + 4NH3
d. It reduce Fehling’s solution into red ppt. of cuprous oxide
2Cu(OH) 2 + CO Cu2O + 2H2O + CO2
e. It reduces steam at high temperature
CO + H2 O CO2 + H2
3. Reaction with metals
Metals like Ni , Co , Fe react with CO to give metal carbonyl.
4CO + Ni Ni(CO)4
Nickel carbonyl (volatile)
5CO + Fe Fe(CO)5
Iron carbonyl
8CO + 2Co 2[Co(CO)4
Cobalt Carbonyl
In Mond’s process of extraction of Ni, the purification of Ni is carried out by the
formation of Ni(CO)4 gas formed at 80 degree C and then by heating the
o
carbonyl to 280 C.
4CO + Ni 80 Ni(CO)4
Ni(CO)4 280 Ni +4CO
4. Formation of addition compounds
It combines with elements and compound to give addition compounds.
CO + 2 H2 300°C , 200 atm CH3OH
Zno + Cr2O3 methanol
CO + Cl2 sunlight COCl2
phosgene(carbonylchloride)
CO + S O=C=S
carbonyl sulphide
CO + NaOH 160°C HCOONa
sodium formate
5. Ammonical cuprous chloride absorbs CO gas to give addition compounds.
Cu2 Cl2 + 2CO 2CuCl. CO
(ammoniacal) Cuprous carbonyl chloride
1. Industrially it is used as a fuel gas in the form of water gas and producer gas.
2. Water gas is the mixture o CO + H2 , which is obtained by passing steam over white
hot coke.
H2O + C CO +H2
steam water gas
3. Producer gas: It is the mixture CO + N2 which is obtained by passing air over
white hot coke.
O2 + 4N2 + 2C 2CO + 4N2
air Produced gas
4. It is used to prepare metal carbonyls
Fe(CO)5 is used in magnetic tape , 2[Co(CO)4 used as a catalyst.
5. Extraction of metals .
6. Preparation of CH3OH , CH3COOONa phosgene gas, dyes etc.
1. Coal:
It is black or brownish black solid formed in nature as a result of slow decomposition of wood or
vegetable matter under the influence of high temperature and high pressure in absence of air e g.
anthracite, bituminous coal. Coal is used in the manufacture of fuel gas and as reducing agent.
2. Coke:
It is grayish black solid obtained by destructive distillation of mine coal (heating in absence of air )It
is mainly used as a fuel ( burns without smoke ) and as reducing agent.
3. Lamp black (Carbon black):
It is soft black powder obtained by burning carbon rich compounds. E.g. terpentine oil,
petroleum etc, in limited supply of air .It is mainly used in the manufacture of motor tyres, shoe
polishes, black paint. It is used in printers.
4. Gas carbon:
It is obtained as a deposit mass on the sides and roofs of retorts in which coal is destructively
distilled during the manufacture of coal gas . It is good conductor of electricity and used for making
electrodes and crucibles.
