Carbon

Atomic number

6

Atomic mass (u)

12.011

Category

Nonmetal

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

3549.85 °C (3823 K)

Boiling point

3824.85 °C (4098 K)

Density (g/cm³)

2.2670

Electronegativity (Pauling)

2.55

Electron configuration

[He]2s2 2p2

Oxidation states

+4, +2, -4

Atomic radius (pm)

170

First ionization energy (eV)

11.260

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

Ancient

Discovery credited to (RSC)

No individual discoverer recorded by this source

Date or period recorded by RSC

Prehistoric

Discovery place

Known since antiquity; no single first-discovery place is established.

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

The creation of an element’s nuclei and its concentration into terrestrial deposits are different processes. The occurrence note below concerns its presence or production on Earth; it is not a complete account of nucleosynthesis.

“Carbon is found in the sun and other stars, formed from the debris of a previous supernova.”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

Continue the research

Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.