Kulstoffets

Kulstoffets is the Danish term for carbon, the chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is a nonmetal that is central to organic chemistry and the chemistry of life. Carbon is tetravalent, forming four covalent bonds, which allows it to build complex chains and rings. Its allotropes include diamond, graphite, fullerenes, and graphene, each with distinct properties: diamond features a rigid three-dimensional network; graphite consists of planar sheets of connected carbon atoms; fullerenes and graphene exhibit curved and two-dimensional structures, respectively.

In nature, carbon is ubiquitous. It is the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass and is a major component of all known life. On Earth, carbon exists in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, carbonate minerals in rocks, and countless organic compounds. The most common carbon isotopes are carbon-12 and carbon-13, with a small amount of radiocarbon, carbon-14, used in dating techniques.

Industrially, carbon compounds are fundamental. Carbon is used in fuels (fossil carbon), in steelmaking as coke, in polymers, pharmaceuticals, and as adsorbents (activated carbon). Carbon-based materials such as graphite and graphene have a wide range of applications in electronics, energy storage, and materials science.

Environmental context centers on the carbon cycle and climate impact. Anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide drive trends in atmospheric composition and global temperatures. Understanding carbon’s behavior across reservoirs—air, land, oceans, and living systems—is a central concern in ecology and geoscience.

Etymology: from Latin carbo, coal. The term Kulstoffets is used in Danish-language texts to refer to carbon and its chemistry.

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