Carbon for Kids
KAR-bun · Nonmetal
I wonder… How can a pencil and a diamond be made of the same stuff?
Carbon is the element of life. It's in you, in trees, in pencils, and even in sparkly diamonds.
Quick facts
- Atomic number
- 6
- Symbol
- C
- Atomic mass
- 12.011
- Type
- Nonmetal
- Discovered
- Ancient times
- Discovered by
- Nobody knows!
- Name means
- From carbo, the Latin word for charcoal
- At room temperature
- Solid
How carbon was discovered
Part 1 of 3
Older than history
Carbon is so old that no one knows who discovered it. Thousands of years ago, people made black charcoal in their campfires and used it to draw on cave walls.
Part 2 of 3
The diamond mystery
In 1772, Antoine Lavoisier wanted to know what diamonds are made of. He used a giant magnifying glass to focus sunlight onto a diamond. The diamond burned away! It made the same gas as burning charcoal.
Part 3 of 3
Mystery solved
In 1796, an English chemist named Smithson Tennant proved it for sure. A sparkly diamond and a lump of black charcoal are made of the same element: carbon!
What is carbon used for?
Pencils
Pencil “lead” isn't lead at all. It's graphite, a soft kind of carbon, mixed with clay.
Diamonds
Diamonds are used in jewelry, and also in tools that cut through rock and metal.
Living things
Every plant, animal, and person is built from molecules that contain carbon.
Fun facts about carbon
How much of you is carbon?
About 18 pounds out of every 100 pounds of your body is carbon.
Twins in disguise?
Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon. The atoms are just arranged differently, like the same building blocks built two ways.
Who's the hardest?
Diamond is the hardest natural material on Earth.
Inside a carbon atom
Carbon has 4 electrons on its outside track, so it can link up with lots of other atoms. That's why it can build living things.
Quiz yourself
1. What is pencil “lead” really made of?
- Lead metal
- Graphite, a kind of carbon
- Chocolate
Show the answer
Graphite, a kind of carbon. Pencils use graphite, a soft kind of carbon. There's no lead in them at all!
2. A diamond and pencil graphite are both made of…
- Glass
- Carbon
- Plastic
Show the answer
Carbon. Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon. Only the way the atoms are arranged is different.
Try it at home (with a grown-up): Draw a circuit with a pencil
Grown-up needed! Only do this with a grown-up right next to you, the whole time.
You'll need
- A grown-up helper, right next to you the whole time
- A very soft, dark pencil (marked 6B or 8B works best)
- Paper
- A 9-volt battery
- A small LED light
What to do
- Draw a thick, dark line about as long as your finger. Go over it many times so it's shiny.
- Draw a second thick line next to it, with a small gap between them.
- Grown-up’s job At one end, touch one of the battery's bumps to each line.
- Touch the LED's two wires to the lines at the other end. If it doesn't glow, flip the LED around.
- It lights up! Graphite is carbon, and it carries electricity.
- Grown-up’s job After a few seconds, take the battery off and put tape over its bumps.
Safety rules
- A grown-up holds the battery the whole time.
- Only connect the battery for a few seconds at a time. If the paper or battery feels warm, stop.
- Never touch the LED straight onto the battery. It can pop.
- Never let metal (coins, keys, foil) touch both bumps on top of a 9-volt battery. It can get hot enough to start a fire.
- Never put a battery in your mouth.
Draw it
Draw something made of carbon. Hint: almost every living thing counts!
Riddle
“I'm in your pencil, in sparkly diamonds, and even in you! What am I?”
Explore carbon with animations, read-aloud and a drawing pad
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