Structure

• Carbon has six neutrons, six protons, and six electrons arranged in a hexagonal structure.
  
  

Forms

• Carbon is found naturally in the environment as graphite or diamonds, depending on the structural arrangement of the atoms.
  
  

Compounds

• Carbon forms over 18 million compounds with other elements. Approximately 1 million are organic compounds, based on the combination of carbon and hydrogen, and are essential to the formation of life.
  
  

Name

• "Carbon" comes from the Latin word "carbo," meaning "coal" or "charcoal."
  
  

Isotopes

• Carbon forms seven different isotopes. The most well known, Carbon-14, is radioactive and is used to date archaeological specimens.