Carbon
Carbon is a nonmetal that forms diamond, graphite and the molecular backbone of living things.
Carbon builds an extraordinary variety of structures from the same atoms.
Explore Carbon's atom- Atomic number
- 6
- Standard atomic weight
- [12.0096, 12.0116]
- Family
- Nonmetal
- Period
- 2
- Group
- 14
- Standard state
- Solid
In everyday life
Pencil graphite, diamond and the molecules in your cells all contain carbon.
Something to remember
Diamond and graphite are different arrangements of carbon atoms.
Meet its electrons
[He] 2s2 2p2
Published neutral-atom ground-state configuration; excited atoms and ions can differ.
Electrons per shell: 2 · 4.
The playground shows an illustrative shell model. Real electrons are described by quantum orbitals, rather than tiny planets traveling along fixed paths.
A connection to explore
Carbon and hydrogen form the framework of many organic molecules.
Meet Hydrogen (H)Properties and conditions
- Standard atomic weight
- [12.0096, 12.0116]CIAAW 2024 standard atomic weight (dimensionless). The interval reflects variation in normal terrestrial isotope compositions, not measurement uncertainty. Source flags: none.CIAAW standard atomic weights ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Standard state
- SolidPubChem classification, including explicit predictions where stated. Reference temperature and pressure are not supplied in the table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- First ionisation energy
- 11.260 eVEnergy to remove the first electron from an isolated neutral gas-phase atom. Uncertainty is not supplied.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Electronegativity
- 2.55 Pauling scaleA dimensionless relative measure; values depend on the chosen scale. Uncertainty is not supplied.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Melting point
- 3823 KPubChem reported value. Pressure, allotrope and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; consult the cited source.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Boiling point
- 4098 KPubChem reported value. Pressure and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; consult the cited source.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Density
- 2.2670 g/cm³PubChem reported value. Temperature, pressure, allotrope and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; gas densities are especially condition-dependent.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Oxidation states
- +4, +2, -4Selected PubChem oxidation states; formal electron bookkeeping, not a list of stable free-ion charges or every possible compound.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Discovery
- AncientPubChem discovery attribution. Ancient knowledge and competing priority claims cannot always be represented by a single year.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Atomic radius
- 170 pmPubChem tabulated radius. Radius definitions depend on bonding and convention; measurement definition and uncertainty are not supplied in this table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Electron affinity
- 1.263 eVPubChem reported gas-phase electron affinity. Sign conventions and electronic states matter; uncertainty is not supplied in this table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
Isotopes, abundance and decay
Isotopes share a proton count but have different neutron counts. This selection includes naturally tabulated compositions and a reference isotope for other elements. It is not a list of every known isotope.
Explore 3 isotopes of C
| Isotope | Relative atomic mass | Natural fraction | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-12 | 12.0000000(00) | 0.9893(8) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| C-13 | 13.00335483507(23) | 0.0107(8) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| C-14 | 14.0032419884(40) | Not tabulated | 5.70 ky (uncertainty 0.03) | β−=100 |
Fractions use NIST’s terrestrial isotopic compositions, which can vary by sample. Parentheses denote uncertainty in the last digits. Half-lives and decay branches use NUBASE2020; # marks estimates, >/< mark limits. “No decay observed” follows that evaluation and does not prove permanent stability. Decay branch intensities are percentages; SF means spontaneous fission, EC electron capture, IT an isomeric transition.
Follow the science
Use these original references to explore the data and context. Atomic weights can vary with isotope composition; values for elements without stable isotopes may describe a representative isotope rather than a standard atomic weight.