Carbon is nonmetallic and tetravalent, forming the basis of all organic life.
Core Principles & Analysis
Carbon has been known since antiquity as charcoal and soot, but Lavoisier established it as a distinct element in the late 18th century.
Its allotropes span extremes: diamond is the hardest known natural material, graphite is a soft electrical conductor, and single-layer graphene was first isolated in 2004.
Carbon's ability to form four bonds and long chains underpins all organic chemistry and life, as well as steel, carbon-fiber composites, and activated-carbon filtration.