Why is carbon unique

These geometries have a significant impact on the shape a particular molecule can assume. Hydrocarbon Chains : When carbon forms single bonds with other atoms, the shape is tetrahedral. When two carbon atoms form a double bond, the shape is planar, or flat. Single bonds, like those found in ethane, are able to rotate. Double bonds, like those found in ethene cannot rotate, so the atoms on either side are locked in place.

The hydrocarbons discussed so far have been aliphatic hydrocarbons, which consist of linear chains of carbon atoms. Another type of hydrocarbon, aromatic hydrocarbons, consists of closed rings of carbon atoms. Ring structures are found in hydrocarbons, sometimes with the presence of double bonds, which can be seen by comparing the structure of cyclohexane to benzene.

The benzene ring is present in many biological molecules including some amino acids and most steroids, which includes cholesterol and the hormones estrogen and testosterone.

The benzene ring is also found in the herbicide 2,4-D. Benzene is a natural component of crude oil and has been classified as a carcinogen. Some hydrocarbons have both aliphatic and aromatic portions; beta-carotene is an example of such a hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbon Rings : Carbon can form five-and six membered rings.

Single or double bonds may connect the carbons in the ring, and nitrogen may be substituted for carbon. Isomers are molecules with the same chemical formula but have different structures, which creates different properties in the molecules. The three-dimensional placement of atoms and chemical bonds within organic molecules is central to understanding their chemistry.

Structural isomers such as butane and isobutane differ in the placement of their covalent bonds. Both molecules have four carbons and ten hydrogens C 4 H 10 , but the different arrangement of the atoms within the molecules leads to differences in their chemical properties.

For example, due to their different chemical properties, butane is suited for use as a fuel for cigarette lighters and torches, whereas isobutane is suited for use as a refrigerant and a propellant in spray cans.

Geometric isomers, on the other hand, have similar placements of their covalent bonds but differ in how these bonds are made to the surrounding atoms, especially in carbon-to-carbon double bonds. In the simple molecule butene C 4 H 8 , the two methyl groups CH 3 can be on either side of the double covalent bond central to the molecule. When the carbons are bound on the same side of the double bond, this is the cis configuration; if they are on opposite sides of the double bond, it is a trans configuration.

In the trans configuration, the carbons form a more or less linear structure, whereas the carbons in the cis configuration make a bend change in direction of the carbon backbone. Isomers : Molecules that have the same number and type of atoms arranged differently are called isomers.

Cis and Trans Fatty Acids : These space-filling models show a cis oleic acid and a trans eliadic acid fatty acid. Notice the bend in the molecule cause by the cis configuration. In triglycerides fats and oils , long carbon chains known as fatty acids may contain double bonds, which can be in either the cis or trans configuration. Fats with at least one double bond between carbon atoms are unsaturated fats. When some of these bonds are in the cis configuration, the resulting bend in the carbon backbone of the chain means that triglyceride molecules cannot pack tightly, so they remain liquid oil at room temperature.

On the other hand, triglycerides with trans double bonds popularly called trans fats , have relatively linear fatty acids that are able to pack tightly together at room temperature and form solid fats. In the human diet, trans fats are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, so many food manufacturers have reduced or eliminated their use in recent years. In contrast to unsaturated fats, triglycerides without double bonds between carbon atoms are called saturated fats, meaning that they contain all the hydrogen atoms available.

Saturated fats are a solid at room temperature and usually of animal origin. Enantiomers share the same chemical structure and bonds but differ in the placement of atoms such that they are mirror images of each other. Stereoisomers are a type of isomer where the order of the atoms in the two molecules is the same but their arrangement in space is different. Optical isomers are stereoisomers formed when asymmetric centers are present; for example, a carbon with four different groups bonded to it.

Enantiomers are two optical isomers i. Every stereocenter in one isomer has the opposite configuration in the other. Compounds that are enantiomers of each other have the same physical properties except for the direction in which they rotate polarized light and how they interact with different optical isomers of other compounds.

The amino acid alanine is example of an entantiomer. The two structures, D-alanine and L-alanine, are non-superimposable. In nature, only the L-forms of amino acids are used to make proteins. Some D forms of amino acids are seen in the cell walls of bacteria, but never in their proteins. Similarly, the D-form of glucose is the main product of photosynthesis and the L-form of the molecule is rarely seen in nature.

Enantiomers : D-alanine and L-alanine are examples of enantiomers or mirror images. However, the millions of organic compounds can be grouped into just four major types: carbohydrates , lipids , proteins , and nucleic acids.

You can compare the four types in Table below. Each type is also described below. Carbohydrates , proteins, and nucleic acids are large molecules macromolecules built from smaller molecules monomers through dehydration reactions. In a dehydration reaction, water is removed as two monomers are joined together. Is it possible to extract energy from leftovers? Can organic waste become useful? It may look like waste, but to some people it's green power. Find out how California dairy farms and white tablecloth restaurants are taking their leftover waste and transforming it into clean energy.

The Significance of Carbon A compound found mainly in living things is known as an organic compound. Compounds A compound is a substance that consists of two or more elements. Carbon Why is carbon so basic to life? Type of Compound Examples Elements Functions Monomer Carbohydrates sugars, starches carbon, hydrogen, oxygen provides energy to cells, stores energy, forms body structures monosaccharide Lipids fats, oils carbon, hydrogen, oxygen stores energy, forms cell membranes, carries messages Proteins enzymes, antibodies carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur helps cells keep their shape, makes up muscles, speeds up chemical reactions, carries messages and materials amino acid Nucleic Acids DNA, RNA carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus contains instructions for proteins , passes instructions from parents to offspring, helps make proteins nucleotide Carbohydrates , proteins, and nucleic acids are large molecules macromolecules built from smaller molecules monomers through dehydration reactions.

Energy From Carbon? Summary Carbon is the main element in organic compounds. Carbon can form stable bonds with many elements, including itself.

There are four major types of organic compounds: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Explore More Use this resource to answer the questions that follow.

Pneumoconiosis has been found in workers engaged in the production of carbon black. Skin conditions such as inflammation of the hair follicles, and oral mucosal lesions have also been reported from skin exposure. Carbon 14 is one of the radionuclides involved in atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, which began in , with a US test, and ended in with a Chinese test. It is among the long-lived radionuclides that have produced and will continue to produce increased cancers risk for decades and centuries to come.

It also can cross the placenta, become organically bound in developing cells and hence endanger fetuses. Digestion consist of breaking these compounds down into molecules than can be adsorbed to the wall of the stomach or intestine.

There they are trasported by the blood to sites where they are utilized or oxidised to release the energy they contain. Back to periodic table of elements. For more information on carbon's place in the environment, move to the carbon cycle. Toggle navigation. Home Periodic table Elements Carbon. About Lenntech. General Delivery Conditions. Privacy Policy. All rights reserved. Atomic number. Carbon Carbon is unique in its chemical properties because it forms a number of components superior than the total addition of all the other elements in combination with each other.

Carbon in the environment Carbon and its components are widely distributed in nature. Health effects of carbon Elemental carbon is of very low toxicity. Some simple carbon compound can be very toxic, such as carbon monoxide CO or cyanide CN-. Environmental effects of carbon No negative environmental effects have been reported.