Carbon, bonding, and why it is special

5:59Carbon is the sixth element on the periodic table. It has six protons in its nucleus. Usually six six neutrons. Usually six neutrons in its nucleus. Sometimes seven, sometimes eight. But six protons in the nucleus mean you've got six electrons revolving around the atom. Two are in the inner shell, but that means there's four that are left for that outer shell. And if there's four that are left for the outer shell, that means there's four holes. There's four valence positions where other electrons can come in. That is the maximum because the total number that you can have in that outer shell on that second ring is eight. Yes. So, if you have three, that means you can have like

6:40five holes. But with four, you can either give four or you can take four. You can take You can make the most bonds that way, right? Oxygen can only really make two bonds. Um the other ones can only make, you know, whatever is less. But four is right in the middle where I can give four or I can take four. So, I can make the most number of bonds. That's why it's so important in organic chemistry, for life in general. The big thing is carbon is able to make bonds with itself. And sometimes it makes these things called allotropes. This is pure carbon. There is nothing other than carbon in these substances. For the longest time we thought there were only two. Graphite, which is the pencil lead. Um that's pure carbon.

7:21Nothing else. And then there is obviously diamond. Again, pure carbon. Now, how do we know what the structure of the carbon in these materials is?