How many outer electrons does carbon have

For instance, the atomic number of the element carbon is six because there are six protons at the centre of the carbon atom.

The outer region of the carbon atom has six electrons orbiting around the nucleus. They can be found in the clouds that surround the centre of the carbon atom. Electrons are responsible for creating the negative charge that balances the positive charge of the protons to make atoms electrically neutral. In terms of size, electrons are nearly 1, times smaller than protons. There are copious amounts of carbon in the universe. Humans have known about the existence of the element since ancient times.

Of all the richly diverse elements of the periodic table, carbon is unique in its impact on life on earth. All life on earth is carbon-based. Carbon plays a very important role in the chemistry of living organisms. The bond between carbon atoms with themselves or other elements forms the fundamental components of the vast majority of molecules found uniquely in all the different life forms on earth.

Electrons play a major role in all chemical bonds. A bond is a link between two neighbouring atoms in a molecule or compound. Valence electrons electrons on the outermost energy shell of an atom interact to form bonds.

When two atoms form a connection by sharing electrons, this type of bond is referred to as covalent. Carbon has four valence electrons, which means it can attach to four other atoms or molecules via covalent bonds. For instance, Methane CH4 , which has four hydrogen atoms bound to a carbon atom, is the simplest organic carbon molecule. The four valence electrons of the carbon atom produce a vast range of compounds with numerous properties and contribute to the significance of carbon in living things.

Carbon is mostly extracted from coal deposits, but it has to be processed into a form that is more fitting for commercial applications. In its natural form, carbon is available in three forms namely amorphous, graphite, and diamond.

Black soot is the most common type of amorphous carbon. The second naturally occurring form of carbon is graphite. Graphite can also be produced artificially for commercial purposes by burning petroleum coke in an oven without oxygen. Graphite is soft and slippery and is commonly used to make lubricants. The third naturally occurring allotrope of carbon is diamond —the hardest substance known to man.

Diamond can also be produced artificially. Also, we do not collect or ask for personally identifiable information on any of our sites. Carbon Dioxide This is a carbon dioxide molecule.

Cyanogen Chloride Here's something new! We have three different elements here, carbon C , nitrogen N , and chlorine Cl. That's not special, but the way they combine is! Look at the carbon and the nitrogen, they are sharing six electrons! When two atoms share two electrons, that's a single bond.

If they share four it's a double bond. Well these two are sharing six, that's a triple bond. This will fill Carbon's valence shell and give it all 8 electrons it needs to be stable. There are a few exceptions to the octet rule Hydrogen, Helium, Boron, and some transition metals , but Carbon is not one of them, and so it follows the octet rule normally. Carbon atoms have four electrons in their outer shell. This means that a single carbon atom can form up to how many bonds with other atoms?

John D. May 22, Explanation: The octet rule states that atoms can fill their outer shells with up to 8 electrons a full shell of 8 is the most stable configuration.