6 C

Carbon (C)

Element 6 · Reactive nonmetal · Solid at 25 °C · Group 14, Period 2

Carbon is the backbone of every known living thing and of all organic chemistry. The same element makes soft, slippery graphite and the hardest natural material, diamond.

On the periodic table, carbon sits in group 14 — the carbon group — in period 2. It is one of 7 elements classified as a reactive nonmetal, and at room temperature (25 °C) it is a solid.

The reactive nonmetals are a diverse family that includes hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, and selenium. They gain or share electrons in chemical reactions, forming the covalent bonds that hold molecules together. Most of the atoms in living things — including virtually all of you — belong to this category.

Properties of carbon

Properties of Carbon
Atomic number (Z)	6
Symbol	C
Atomic mass	12.011
Category	Reactive nonmetal
Group	14
Period	2
Block	p-block
Metal / nonmetal	Nonmetal
State at 25 °C	Solid
Electron configuration	[He] 2s2 2p2
Electronegativity (Pauling)	2.55
Melting point	3,550 °C (3,823.15 K / 6,422 °F)
Boiling point	4,027 °C (4,300.15 K / 7,280.6 °F)
Density	2.267 g/cm³

Position in the periodic table

Carbon shares group 14 — the carbon group with Silicon (Si), Germanium (Ge), Tin (Sn), Lead (Pb), Flerovium (Fl). Elements in the same group have the same number of outer electrons, so they tend to behave alike chemically — comparing them is one of the fastest ways to see periodic trends in action.

Within this dataset, it ranks #10 in electronegativity out of 99 elements with a pauling value; its melting point is the #1 highest of the 102 elements with measured melting points.

Physical properties

Carbon melts at 3,550 °C (3,823.15 K / 6,422 °F) and boils at 4,027 °C (4,300.15 K / 7,280.6 °F), giving it a liquid range of about 477 °C at standard pressure.

Its density is 2.267 g/cm³.