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ELEMENT 006 · NONMETAL

Carbon · C Carbon

exists in allotropes such as diamond and graphite and is a skeleton element in organic chemistry.

atomic number / Atomic number
6
atomic weight / Atomic mass
12.011 u
Family/Group
14
Period · Block / Period · Block
2 · p
Category / Category
Other non-metals · Nonmetal
State / State
solid state
Electron configuration
[He]2s2 2p2
Oxidation states / Oxidation states
+4, +2, -4
Electronegativity / Electronegativity
2.55(Pauling)
Density / Density
2.2670 g/cm³
Melting point / Melting point
3823 K
Boiling point / Boiling point
4098 K
Atomic radius / Atomic radius
170 pm(van der Waals)
First ionization energy
11.260 eV
Discovery year / Discovery
Ancient

attribute description and data source

properties taken from PubChem periodic table snapshot (2026-10-04). Atomic weights may be reference values ​​or representative isotope masses and cannot be considered exact constants for all samples; density, phase transition points, and phase states depend on temperature, pressure, and allotropes. The solidification of helium requires pressure. Some properties of radioactive and superheavy elements are predicted values, and missing items are marked as not included. Please check the original source and experimental conditions for precise calculations.

PubChem · Carbonoriginal information ↗

involves CarbonThe final phase of

current index collection 48strips. The reaction description is only used for knowledge query and material relationship understanding.

inorganic · redox

Complete carbon oxidation

Complete carbon oxidation
C + O₂ → CO₂

Applicable situations: Ideal final state with sufficient oxygen supply

Combustion heat calculation also requires phase state and reaction enthalpy data.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · redox

Carbon monoxide oxidation

Carbon monoxide oxidation
2CO + O₂ → 2CO₂

Applicable situations: Oxidation or catalytic purification

The carbon in carbon monoxide is further oxidized; it only provides reaction relationships and is not used as operating guidance.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · Balance

Boudouard equilibrium

Boudouard equilibrium
CO₂ + C ⇌ 2CO

Applicable situations: High temperature equilibrium of carbon and carbon oxides

is used to understand gasification and metallurgical systems, and the equilibrium position changes according to temperature.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · decomposition

Limestone calcination

Limestone calcination
CaCO₃ ⇌ CaO + CO₂

Applicable situations: Thermal decomposition is related to carbon dioxide partial pressure

This reaction is an important basis for material accounting in the cement and lime industry.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · precipitation

Lime carbonation

Lime carbonation
Ca(OH)₂ + CO₂ → CaCO₃ + H₂O

Applicable situations: alkaline aqueous phase

The amount of carbon dioxide and the pH of the solution will affect the carbonate and bicarbonate distribution.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · Balance

Carbonate dissolution

Carbonate dissolution
CaCO₃ + CO₂ + H₂O ⇌ Ca(HCO₃)₂

Applicable situations: Aqueous phase containing carbon dioxide

This molecular formula expresses the net metering relationship, and the aqueous solution actually contains dissociated ions.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · decomposition

Sodium bicarbonate decomposition

Sodium bicarbonate decomposition
2NaHCO₃ → Na₂CO₃ + CO₂ + H₂O

Applicable situations: decomposes when heated

Bicarbonate releases gas and the solid residual composition is related to process conditions.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · acid-base

Carbonate acid reaction

Carbonate acid reaction
Na₂CO₃ + 2HCl → 2NaCl + CO₂ + H₂O

Applicable situations: acidic aqueous phase

The carbonic acid system releases carbon dioxide, and the reaction measurement is related to the alkalinity of the carbonate.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · precipitation

Calcium carbonate precipitation

Calcium carbonate precipitation
CaCl₂ + Na₂CO₃ → CaCO₃ + 2NaCl

Applicable situations: aqueous solution

crystal form and precipitation morphology require additional description of the crystallization conditions.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · redox

Iron oxide reduction

Iron oxide reduction
Fe₂O₃ + 3CO → 2Fe + 3CO₂

Applicable situations: Total amount of metallurgical reduction

Industrial reduction often passes through a variety of intermediate oxides and needs to be combined with gas-solid dynamics.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · redox

Silica reduction

Silica reduction
SiO₂ + 2C → Si + 2CO

Applicable situations: High temperature metallurgical total reaction

Silicon smelting involves multiple intermediate species, and this formula is used for preliminary material balance.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · Balance

Water-gas shift

Water-gas shift
CO + H₂O ⇌ CO₂ + H₂

Applicable situations: catalytic gas phase system

is used to adjust the synthesis gas composition, and the temperature and steam composition affect the balanced conversion.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · decomposition

Magnesium carbonate decomposition

Magnesium carbonate decomposition
MgCO₃ → MgO + CO₂

Applicable situations: thermal decomposition

is used to understand the transformation of magnesia material precursors into oxides.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
inorganic · acid-base

Lithium carbonate dissolution

Lithium carbonate dissolution
Li₂CO₃ + 2HCl → 2LiCl + CO₂ + H₂O

Applicable situations: acidic aqueous phase

The total quantitative relationship between lithium carbonate and soluble lithium salt.

Extended reading · OpenStax Chemistry 2e ↗
Organic · redox

Methane combustion

Methane combustion
CH₄ + 2O₂ → CO₂ + 2H₂O

Applicable situations: The ideal final state of complete oxidation

is used for natural gas combustion material balance. Actual combustion also needs to consider incomplete combustion and heat transfer.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · redox

Propane combustion

Propane combustion
C₃H₈ + 5O₂ → 3CO₂ + 4H₂O

Applicable situations: completely oxidized

The stoichiometric air volume must also be converted according to the oxygen content of the air.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · redox

Methanol combustion

Methanol combustion
2CH₃OH + 3O₂ → 2CO₂ + 4H₂O

Applicable situations: completely oxidized

The oxygen in methanol has participated in the molecular composition, and the theoretical oxygen demand is different from that of hydrocarbons.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Biochemistry The

Glucose respiration

Glucose respiration
C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O

Applicable situations: Total cell metabolism count

Real Breathing consists of multi-step enzymatic reactions and energy coupling processes.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Biochemistry The

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis
6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂

Applicable situations: Light energy driven simplified clean type

This formula is a simplified representation of the carbon fixed net meter and does not represent the true source path of oxygen atoms.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Biochemistry The

Alcoholic fermentation

Alcoholic fermentation
C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH + 2CO₂

Applicable situations: enzymatic metabolism pure formula

Actual fermentation will also generate biomass and by-products, and the yield relationship needs to be added.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Biochemistry The

Lactic acid fermentation

Lactic acid fermentation
C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₃H₆O₃

Applicable situations: Ideal clean method for homolactic acid fermentation

This formula does not cover heterofermentation and other metabolic branches.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Hydrolysis

Sucrose hydrolysis

Sucrose hydrolysis
C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ + H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + C₆H₁₂O₆

Applicable situations: Acid or enzyme catalyzed

are glucose and fructose respectively; the same molecular formula does not mean the same structure.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · bonus

Ethylene hydrogenation

Ethylene hydrogenation
C₂H₄ + H₂ → C₂H₆

Applicable situations: catalytic hydrogenation

The carbon-carbon double bond is converted into a single bond, and the reaction selectivity requires a combination of the catalyst and substrate structures.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · bonus

Ethylene hydration

Ethylene hydration
C₂H₄ + H₂O ⇌ C₂H₅OH

Applicable situations: catalytic hydration balance

Ethanol generation and reverse dehydration constitute the relevant reaction pathways.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · eliminate

Ethanol dehydration

Ethanol dehydration
C₂H₅OH → C₂H₄ + H₂O

Applicable situations: Acid catalytic elimination net formula

Different conditions may favor competing reactions such as etherification.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · condensation

Diethyl ether formation

Diethyl ether formation
2C₂H₅OH → C₂H₅OC₂H₅ + H₂O

Applicable situations: intermolecular dehydration pathway

This formula describes the formal relationship of ether formation and does not represent a single selectivity.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · esterification

Ethyl acetate esterification

Ethyl acetate esterification
CH₃COOH + C₂H₅OH ⇌ CH₃COOC₂H₅ + H₂O

Applicable situations: acid catalyzed reversible equilibrium

Carboxylic acid and alcohol produce ester and water, and the equilibrium composition is related to the activity of each component.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · esterification

Methyl acetate esterification

Methyl acetate esterification
CH₃COOH + CH₃OH ⇌ CH₃COOCH₃ + H₂O

Applicable situations: acid catalyzed reversible equilibrium

Esterification is a reversible process, and the actual reaction rate is affected by catalysis and mass transfer.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Hydrolysis

Ethyl acetate saponification

Ethyl acetate saponification
CH₃COOC₂H₅ + NaOH → CH₃COONa + C₂H₅OH

Applicable situations: alkaline aqueous phase

Formation of the carboxylate salt makes the reaction differ from the equilibrium behavior of acid-catalyzed ester hydrolysis.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · acid-base

Acetic acid neutralization

Acetic acid neutralization
CH₃COOH + NaOH → CH₃COONa + H₂O

Applicable situations: aqueous solution

Acetic acid is a weak acid, and the neutralization curve is affected by dissociation equilibrium.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · redox

Ethanol oxidation to ethanal

Ethanol oxidation to ethanal
2C₂H₅OH + O₂ → 2CH₃CHO + 2H₂O

Applicable situations: Selective Oxidation Clean Type

can be further oxidized to generate acetic acid, and the selectivity of the product depends on the reaction system.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · acid-base

Acetic acid and bicarbonate

Acetic acid and bicarbonate
CH₃COOH + NaHCO₃ → CH₃COONa + CO₂ + H₂O

Applicable situations: water phase neutralization

The carbonic acid system releases carbon dioxide, and the acid-base balance drives the net reaction.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · redox

Methane steam reforming

Methane steam reforming
CH₄ + H₂O ⇌ CO + 3H₂

Applicable situations: industrial catalytic balance

is also affected by competitive processes such as water-gas shift and carbon deposition.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · synthesis The

Methanol synthesis

Methanol synthesis
CO + 2H₂ ⇌ CH₃OH

Applicable situations: catalytic equilibrium system

This is a simplified net formula for producing methanol from syngas, and carbon dioxide can also participate in the actual network.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · synthesis The

Carbon dioxide hydrogenation

Carbon dioxide hydrogenation
CO₂ + 3H₂ ⇌ CH₃OH + H₂O

Applicable situations: catalytic equilibrium system

reaction is affected by thermodynamic equilibrium and competing side reactions.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · condensation

Glycine condensation

Glycine condensation
2C₂H₅NO₂ → C₄H₈N₂O₃ + H₂O

Applicable situations: forms the net formula of glycylglycine

does not mean that free amino acids will spontaneously and efficiently form peptide bonds in ordinary aqueous solutions.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Hydrolysis

Urea hydrolysis

Urea hydrolysis
CH₄N₂O + H₂O → 2NH₃ + CO₂

Applicable situations: Simplified general formula of enzyme catalysis

The actual ratio of ammonium ions and bicarbonate in the aqueous phase depends on pH.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Hydrolysis

Acid-catalyzed ester hydrolysis

Acid-catalyzed ester hydrolysis
CH₃COOC₂H₅ + H₂O ⇌ CH₃COOH + C₂H₅OH

Applicable situations: acid catalytic equilibrium

and esterification are reverse processes of each other, and the final composition cannot be judged just by the reaction arrow.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · bonus

Ethylene bromine addition

Ethylene bromine addition
C₂H₄ + Br₂ → C₂H₄Br₂

Applicable situations: General formula for olefin addition

The double bond is converted into a single bond, and the product is o-dibromide; only the structural changes are described here.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · Hydrolysis

Acetic anhydride hydrolysis

Acetic anhydride hydrolysis
C₄H₆O₃ + H₂O → 2CH₃COOH

Applicable situations: acyl substitution net formula

The acid anhydride reacts with water to generate the corresponding carboxylic acid.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗
Organic · acid-base

Benzoic acid neutralization

Benzoic acid neutralization
C₆H₅COOH + NaOH → C₆H₅COONa + H₂O

Applicable situations: Aqueous phase acid-base reaction

Carboxylic acid is converted into carboxylate, solubility and ionization degree change with pH.

Extended reading · OpenStax Organic Chemistry ↗

How can this knowledge be incorporated into high-end products?

Relevant scientific figures and methodological contributions