Carbon Chemistry (essential Chemistry)

16450_EC_CarbonChem_all_4p.e.indi i 10/21/08 2:33:28 PM 16450_EC_CarbonChem_all_4p.e.indii ii 10/21/08 2:33:30 PM 16450_EC_CarbonChem_all_4p.e.indiii iii 10/21/08 2:33:30 PM CARBON CHEMISTRY Copyright © 2008 by Infobase Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, contact: Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data West, Krista. Carbon chemistry / Krista West. p. cm. — (Essential chemistry) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7910-9708-3 (hardcover) 1. Carbon. 2. Carbon—Composition. I. Title. QD181.C1W47 2008 546'.681—dc22 2007051318 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.chelseahouse.com Text design by Erik Lindstrom Cover design by Ben Peterson Printed in the United States of America Bang NMSG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. All links and Web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the Web, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. 16450_EC_CarbonChem_all_4p.e.indiv iv 10/21/08 2:33:32 PM 1 Introduction to Carbon Chemistry 1 2 A Brief Review of Atoms and Elements 7 3 Compound Carbon Chemistry 16 4 Biomolecules 35 5 The Carbon Cycle 42 6 The Atmosphere and Climate 59 7 Global Warming 67 8 Carbon and Energy 75 9 Carbon Products 84 Periodic Table of the Elements 92 Electron Configurations 94 Table of Atomic Masses 96 Glossary 98 16450_EC_CarbonChem_all_4p.e.indv v Bibliography 105 Further Reading 107 Photo Credits 110 Index 111 About the Author 117 10/21/08 2:33:32 PM 16450_EC_CarbonChem_all_4p.e.indvi vi 10/21/08 2:33:32 PM 1 Introduction to Carbon Chemistry arbon is something we encounter every day. Graphite, which is pure carbon, is the “lead” in pencils. Diamonds are carbon and so is charcoal. Some hard coals are up to 98% carbon. Carbon is also present in all living things. Forests, for example, are made almost entirely of carbon-containing compounds. Carbon and carbon compounds are widely used as raw materials in industrial products. Many plastics, detergents, foods, and medicines are made from carbon-containing compounds. The oil, coal, and natural gas we burn for energy are made up mostly of carbon. Our dependence on these fuels has, in recent years, caused economic problems, but even more importantly, it has contributed to the worldwide problem of global warming. Most scientists now believe that the burning of carbonbased fuels has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and that this, in turn, has resulted in rising C 1 16450_EC_CarbonChem_all_4p.e.ind1 1 10/21/08 2:33:32 PM 2 CARBON CHEMISTRY Figure 1.1 A diamond is made up entirely of carbon atoms arrange