PD+6A+-+Carbon+Cycle

// C a R b O n C y C L e  // CARBON 'S SYMBOL=C CARBON'S ATOMIC NUMBER=6 Carbon, is very widely distributed in nature. It is found in abundance in the sun, stars, comets, and atmospheres of most planets. Carbon in the form of microscopic diamonds is found in some meteorites. __ Carbon is found free in nature in three allotropic forms: graphite, diamond, and fullerines. A fourth form, known as "white" carbon, is now thought to exist. Ceraphite is one of the softest known materials while diamond is one of the hardest. __ []

It is a component of motor vehicle exhaust, which contributes about 56 percent of all CO emissions nationwide.



Why is Carbon essential for life? The structure of the carbon atom allows for chemical bonding with up to four other atoms, which makes possible the vast array of chemical arrangements in organic molecules. All life on Earth depends on organic molecules, the primary components of which are also some of the most abundant elements in the universe: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus. []