CARBON AND ITS COMPOUNDS

CARBON
 Carbon belongs to the group IV of
the periodic table.
 It has four electrons in its
outermost orbit, so its valency is
four.
 Carbon is a non-metal.
 Compounds of Carbon are Widely
Distributed in Nature
 The number of carbon compounds is
larger than that of all other elements put
together.
 Why so many Carbon Compounds
in nature?
 Because carbon is
chemically unique.

 Only carbon atoms

have the ability to
combine with
themselves to form
long chains
 Carbon- Long Chains
 A long chain, in turn, provides a
convenient backbone of atoms to which
other atoms can attach themselves in a
variety of ways
 Allotropes of Carbon
 In nature, pure carbon occur in two forms-
 Diamond
 Graphite
 What are Allotropes ?
 Allotropes are elements which are
chemically identical, but they differ
markedly in their physical properties.

 Diamond and Graphite – two allotropes of

carbon differ in their physical properties.
 Physical Properties of
Diamond and Graphite
Property Diamond Graphite
Appearance Transparent Black, Shiny

Hardness Very Hard Soft, slippery to

touch
Thermal Very poor moderate
Conductivity
Electrical Poor Good conductor
Conductivity
Density(kg/m3) 3510 2250

Uses Jewellery, drilling Dry cell, electric

arc, lubricant,
pencil lead
 How Diamond and Graphite are
chemically identical?
 These results of thes experiments answer this question:

 On heating diamond or graphite in the air, they burn

completely to form carbon dioxide.

 Equal quantities of diamond and graphite when burned,

produce exactly the same amount of carbon dioxide.
Why the physical properties of diamond
and graphite are so different?
 Due to the difference in the arrangement
of carbon atoms in diamond and graphite
 Hydrocarbons
 Hydrocarbons are compounds of carbon
and hydrogen.
The natural source of
hydrocarbons is
petroleum (crude oil)
 The Simplest Hydrocarbon
Methane CH4
A molecule of
methane has four
hydrogen atoms
linked to one central
atom of carbon.
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 Alkanes
 The hydrocarbons methane, ethane
propane and butane form a series of
carbon compounds known as alkanes

 The alkane series can be represented by

the general formula
 Isomerism
 Compounds having the same molecular formulae
but different structural arrangement of atoms in
them are known as isomers, and the
phenomenon is known as isomerism
Isomers of Butane –
Obtained by rearranging
the carbon and the
hydrogen atoms
 Unsaturated Hydrocarbons
 Unsaturated hydrocarbons contain a
double or triple bond between two carbon
atoms.
 The one with double bond are called
alkenes
Alkenes
 Alkynes
 Unsaturated hydrocarbons which contain
triple bond between two carbon atoms.