Some further compounds of carbon

Carbon has by far the greatest number of compounds of any element. The thousands of combinations of carbon with other elements give it the diversity of compounds that makes it the basis of life. Carbon has a reacting power of 4 as it has four electrons in its outermost shell and is placed in group 4 of the periodic table.
Its chemical bonds are all covalent. There are over half a million compounds of carbon and hydrogen alone and some are very useful, including the hydrocarbons in petrol.

Compounds of carbon and hydrogen, together with oxygen and nitrogen, make up almost 100 % of the compounds in the cells of our bodies. Without carbon we would not exist. Where does it all come from? It is recycled to us via foods. Green plants obtain their carbon from the carbon dioxide in the air.
The energy that all cells (including ours) require to live comes from chemical reactions between covalent molecules like sugars and oxygen. When carbon compounds react with oxygen, for example, they give out energy and produce carbon dioxide and water. They also make, as a side reaction, a very small quantity
of carbon monoxide.
The oxidation of carbohydrates, such as glucose in our body cells, produces carbon dioxide and water. The majority of glucose molecules, for instance, react in the following way when they give out energy:
C6H12O6 þ6 O2 ! 6 CO2 þ 6H2O þ energy given out Carbon dioxide is produced in the cells as the waste product when sugars (e.g. C6H12O6) are oxidized to give energy. The carbon dioxide is then transferred
to the blood, which takes it to the lungs to be exchanged for oxygen. The oxygen is inhaled on breathing and carbon dioxide is exhaled into the surrounding air.
Carbon monoxide is made in very small quantities in our body cells when sugars are oxidized to give energy. It was thought to be of no use in the body and removed as soon as possible. However, in 1992 a startling discovery was made. This carbon monoxide, the potentially poisonous gas, in very low concentrations had an
important role. Medical researchers have shown that the regulating role of very small quantities of CO seems to be particularly vital in parts of the brain that control long-term memory. Its complete function in other parts of the body is still being researched. This is a fascinating side of chemistry – the more you find out, the more
mysteries are revealed!