What is the electron configuration of carbon?
Carbon has a ground-state electron configuration of 1s22s22p2. Its four outer electrons are valence electrons that allow it to form up to four covalent bonds.
Questions about Carbon
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was radiocarbon dating invented and what is its half-life?
Radiocarbon dating was invented in 1949 using Carbon-14 which decays with a half-life of 5,700 years. This radioisotope forms in upper troposphere layers by cosmic ray interaction with nitrogen-14 nuclei.
Which countries produce the most natural graphite deposits globally?
Most important sources of commercially viable natural graphite lie in China India Brazil and North Korea. World production reached 1.1 million tonnes in 2010 with China contributing 800,000 tonnes.
Who discovered fullerenes and when did they receive their Nobel Prize?
Robert Curl Harold Kroto and Richard Smalley discovered fullerenes in 1985. They received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this discovery in 1996.
How much carbon exists in Earth's atmosphere today compared to water bodies?
About 900 gigatonnes of carbon exist in Earth's atmosphere today while dissolved carbon reaches approximately 36,000 gigatonnes within all water bodies.