Grade VIII

CHEMISTRY
SYNOPSIS
Unit No: Theme 9
Name of the chapter: Carbon and its compounds
Date: 2-03-22 No. of pages: 14

OCCURRENCE:
Carbon occurs in the earth’s crust in the free as well as in the combined state. In the free
state it occurs as coal, diamond and graphite.
In the combined state, carbon occurs in:
• The atmosphere (as CO2 gas)
• Natural water as dissolved CO2
• Natural gas and petroleum
• Food nutrients like starch, sugar, fats , proteins, vitamins etc.
• Carbonates and bicarbonates such as chalk, limestone, marble (CaCO3), calamine
(ZnCO3), washing soda(Na2CO3. 10H2O) and baking soda (NaHCO3)
• Clothing materials like cotton, silk terylene, rayon etc.
For convenience of study all compounds are
mainly of two types – Organic and
inorganic
Organic compounds – All carbon
containing compounds, except carbon
monoxide , carbon dioxide, carbonates and
hydrogen carbonates are called organic
compounds.
Inorganic compounds- All non-carbon
compounds, along with carbon monoxide ,
carbon dioxide , carbonates and hydrogen
carbonates are called inorganic compounds
ALLOTROPY
Allotropy is defined as the phenomenon due to which an
element exits in two or more forms with identical chemical
properties but with different physical properties. Such forms of
an element are known as its allotropic forms or allotropes. Some
elements which show allotropy are Sulphur, phosphorus, carbon.

All these forms of carbon differ in their physical properties , but when burnt in the presence of oxygen ,
they all produce carbon dioxide with the release of heat.

DIAMOND
Diamond is the costliest gemstone and the hardest natural substance known. It is so hard that it can only
be cut by another diamond. Diamonds are formed at high temperature and pressure that exists over
100km below the earth’s surface along with the carrier rock, kimberlite -by volcanic action. Diamond is
artificially produced by heating graphite at high temperature and pressure.
Diamonds is generally colourless. However, the coloured varieties-yellow,brown, red, green blue,grey
or even black -are also found in nature. The colour arises due to metallic impurities.
Properties
• Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring solid known
• It has a density of 3.51 g/cm3
• A properly cut diamond bends back a great percentage of light falling on it. That is why it
sparkles. The ability of a substance to bend light depends upon a property called refractive
index. Diamond has a refractive index of 2.5
• It has a very high melting point
• It is a bad conductor of electricity
• It is insoluble in all solvents
Structure of diamond

In diamond, each carbon atom is bonded to four other

carbon atoms . The central carbon atom is bonded to
four carbon atoms placed at the vertices of a
tetrahedron. The other carbon atoms in turn, are also
tetrahedrally bonded to four carbon atoms each. This
results in a formation of a giant molecule, in which the
carbon atoms are packed closely. This accounts for its
high density, hardness and high melting point.
Uses of diamonds
1. Pure diamond is used in jewellery as a gem due to its brilliant shine.
2. Impure diamond (black diamond ) is used
• For cutting and drilling rocks, glass or other diamonds
• As tip heads in deep boring drills
• As bearings in watches
• As needles for long -playing record players
• For making radiation -proof windows for space satellites (so as to prevent the entry of
harmful radiation)
GRAPHITE
Graphite is a black opaque solid ,found in large deposits in many countries like China, South Korea and
India. It is artificially prepared by strongly heating coke with silica in an electric furnace.
 Properties
• Graphite is a greyish black, opaque substance with metallic lustre.
• Its density is 2.2g/cm3.
• It is stable to het and has a very high melting point of 3700oC.
• It is soft and greasy to touch.
• It marks a black stain on paper.
• It is a good conductor of heat and electricity.
Structure of graphite
In a graphite molecule each carbon atom is linked with three
neighbouring carbon atoms,thus forming a hexagonal
arrangement of atoms. These hexagonal groupings of carbon
atoms are arranged as layers or sheets piled one on top of the
other. The layers are held together by weak forces such that
they can slide over one another. This is why graphite is soft and
slippery and can be used as a lubricant in machines and in
pencil leads. Also in a graphite molecule,one valence electron
of each carbon atom remains free, thus making graphite a good
conductor of electricity. C-C binding force is strong in the hexagon itself so melting and boiling point
are high.
Uses of graphite
1. With petroleum jelly to form graphite grease (a
lubricant)
2. For making the electrodes of electric furnaces
3. For making crucibles for melting metals due to
its high melting point.
4. For making carbon brushes for electric motors
5. For making pencil leads because it can mark
black on paper (Pencil leads are made by mixing
graphite with variable quantities of clay)
6. It is used in nuclear reactors as a moderator to
slow down the speed of neutrons
Fullerene
Fullerenes are crystalline forms of carbon. Unlike diamond and graphite, they have discrete molecules
containing large numbers of carbon atoms , E.g.
C32,C50,C60,C70,C76,C84 and so on. The first
fullerene -buckministerfullerene (C60)- was
artificially prepared in 1985. The C60 molecule is
spherical in shape . It consists of 20 hexagons and
12 pentagons of carbon atoms. Each carbon atom
is shared by two hexagons and one pentagon. The
design looks like that of a football. So,it is also called the buckyball. This allotrope is named after
Richard Buckminster Fuller, who was an American architect famous for designing spherical domes. The
buckyball is a yellow solid, also found in soot. It is chemically more active than diamond and graphite.
U2- AMORPHOUS FORMS OF CARBON

The amorphous forms of carbon include charcoal, coke , gas carbon,coal and lampblack(soot).They are
derived from different sources and amorphous forms of carbon are not pure except (sugar
charcoal).Amorphous forms of carbon contain hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur as impurities.
CHARCOAL

When a solid organic substance is subjected to destructive distillation a grey porous solid is produced,
which is named as charcoal. Charcoal is obtained from a variety of sources of plant and animal origin.
Each type is named after the source from which it is obtained. The three main types of charcoal are
wood charcoal, bone charcoal and sugar charcoal.
Wood Charcoal
Wood charcoal is prepared by the destructive distillation of wood. A
mixture of gases and vapours evolves, and charcoal is left as a
residue.
Physical properties of wood charcoal
• Grey brittle solid, porous in nature
• Bad conductor of heat and electricity
• Density 1.5g/cc floats on water because of large amount of air
is trapped in it.
• Adsorbs gases, liquids and solids .
Activated charcoal
Activated charcoal is prepared by heating wood charcoal at 900oC in a limited supply of air and steam.
It opens the pores and increases its capacity to hold more gas.

Bone Charcoal
Animal Bones are first boiled with water to remove fatty substances and then subjected to destructive
distillation in a retort. The solid product in the retort is washed thoroughly with hydrochloric acid. The
residual substance is bone charcoal.
Sugar Charcoal
Sugar charcoal is the purest form of carbon. It is prepared by the destructive distillation of cane sugar or
by dehydration of sugar with concentrated sulphuric acid.

LAMP BLACK
Lamp black is one of the amorphous forms of carbon. It contains 98-
99% carbon . It is prepared by heating carbon rich substance like oil
in a limited supply of air. The oil burns with a smoky flame that
contains large amounts of free carbon. The black smoke is collected
on the metal surface. The collected powder is called lamp black or
soot.
Uses:
1. Lamp black is used in making black shoe polish, carbon
paper, printing ink,black paint etc.
2. It is also used in the manufacture of tyres and gun powder.
COAL
Destructive distillation of coal
Procedure: Place some powdered coal in a hard glass test
tube. Heat it strongly till it changes into coke that lies in the
test tube as a grey porous residue.
Observation: Dark brownish black vapours are given out.
Some carbon present in the vapours solidifies near the
mouth of hard glass test tube and is called gas carbon.
When the above vapours are passed through water contained
in conical flask , a large proportion of the vapours
condenses to form two distinct layers. The lower layer
consists of a black , thick liquid which is called colourless gas bubbles out of flask and its is commonly
called coal gas. It burns with a yellowish flame when it is ignited.
COKE
Coke is an amorphous form of carbon. It is a black porous ,solid substance that burns without smoke. It
contains about 98% carbon. It is a good reducing agent and a bad conductor of heat and electricity.
Coke is prepared by the destructive distillation of coal.
GAS CARBON
Gas carbon is prepared by destructive distillation of coal or when petroleum products are heated at high
temperatures in a closed container. Carbon particles are deposited on the walls of the container which is
gas carbon. It is a grey solid. It is a good conductor of electricity.
Uses:
It is used for making electrodes of dry cells and carbon rods for arc lamps.

U3- CARBON DIOXIDE GAS AND CARBON MONOXIDE

Van Helmont discovered the presence of carbon dioxide in the year 1630. It is added to the air by the
following processes
• Respiration of all animals and plants
• Combustion of carbonaceous fuels
• Decay of organic matter
• Fermentation
• As a result of volcanic eruptions
In the form of compounds, it is present as carbonate and bicarbonate salts.
General methods of preparation of carbon dioxide
1. Carbon dioxide is formed when coke, charcoal or any hydrocarbon is burned in the presence of
air
 2. Thermal decomposition of carbonates/ bicarbonates – When metallic carbonates/bicarbonates
are heated it decomposes to release carbon dioxide.
ZnCO3 → ZnO + CO2

3. Reaction with acids: Metallic carbonates/ bicarbonates on reaction with acids produce carbon
dioxide gas

Laboratory preparation of carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is prepared in the laboratory by the action of dilute HCl on marble chips. As the gas is
heavier than air it is collected by the upward displacement of air.

Procedure : Some marble chips are placed in a

conical flask and covered by water. The flask is
fitted with a thistle funnel and a delivery tube. Dil.
HCl is poured through the thistle funnel into the
flask. A brisk reaction takes place. The gas evolved
displaces air inside the flask and the delivery tube
first and then collects in the gas jar by displacing air
upwards. To test whether the jar is completely filled with CO2 , a lighted matchstick is brought near is
mouth from time to time . When flame gets extinguished, we infer that the jar is filled with CO2.
Sulphuric acid cannot be used because calcium sulphate would be formed and the salt being insoluble
would deposit on the chips ,preventing them from coming in contact with the acid
CaCO3+ H2SO4 ------→ CaSO4 +CO2+H2O
Chemical Properties of CO2
Reaction with water: It dissolves in water to form carbonic acid.

Reaction with sodium hydroxide solution : Carbon dioxide reacts with sodium hydroxide to form
sodium carbonate.

However, when excess of carbon

dioxide is passed through the above
solution, the milkiness disappears
and a clear solution id formed. It is
because calcium carbonate reacts
with of carbon dioxide to form
calcium bicarbonate, which is
soluble in water.

CaCO3 +H2O+CO2 ---------→ Ca(HCO3)2

Calcium bicarbonate (soluble)
Uses of carbon dioxide
In low concentrations in the air, CO2 is essential for life but in high concentrations it is a cause of great
concern.
• Green plants use CO2 for photosynthesis and manufacture their food glucose in the process
• Used in preparation of several chemicals like urea, baking soda, washing soda etc.
• Carbon dioxide is used in fire extinguishers

• It is used extensively used for making soda water and fizzy drinks
• In welding , CO2 is used in order to prevent the oxidation of the metal by air
• In the form of dry ice, CO2 is used as a coolant and depicting smoke in plays, movies and so on.
• Regeneration of oxygen in nature
• As carbogen – 5% CO2 AND 95% O2 is used to help the patients breath artificially.

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide occurs in coal gas, volcanic gases, tobacco fumes and chimney gases, and in the
exhaust of automobiles (in trace). Mostly carbon monoxide is formed when large amount of carbon or
its compounds is burnt in limited supply of air or oxygen. In other words, carbon monoxide is a product
of incomplete burning.
Physical properties of Carbon monoxide

• CO is colourless, almost odourless and tasteless gas

• It is slightly lighter than air
• Carbon monoxide is slightly soluble in water
• It is highly poisonous Air containing even 1% of CO, can be fatal if breathed in for about 10 -15 minutes

Reducing properties of CO

Carbon monoxide is a strong reducing agent. It reduces the oxides of the less active metals to their
respective metals and itself gets oxidised to CO2 in the process.
Study questions:
1. Which of the among the following has the largest surface area?
a. Wood charcoal
b. Diamond
c. Graphite
d. Activated charcoal
2. While cooking, if the bottom of the vessel is getting blackened on the outside, it
means that
a. the food is not cooked completely.
b. the fuel is not burning completely.
c. the fuel is wet.
d. the fuel is burning completely
3. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below

a.

b.

c.
 d.

e.

4. Why is CO called a silent killer?

5. Which property of carbon makes it useful in metallurgy?
6. What is destructive distillation? what are the products formed by destructive distillation of coal?
7. Explain the reducing property of carbon monoxide with examples.
8.

Links for practise

https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/60323f9f51b0ef001f92a099/carbon-and-its-compounds
https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5e57e29b2580f3001b4659f1/carbon-and-its-compounds