Сборник текстов на казахском, русском, английском языках для формирования навыков по видам речевой деятельности обучающихся уровней среднего образования

Carbon and its Compounds

Carbon is an element of immense significance in both its elemental and combined form. We are surrounded by compounds made up of carbon and its substituents. The list given below illustrates the importance of carbon compounds in our daily life:

1. 
   Foods [starch, sugar, fats, vitamins, proteins] 
   
2. 
   Fuels [wood, coal, alcohol, petrol] 
   
3. 
   Household and commercial articles [paper, soap, cosmetics, oils, paints]
   
4. 
   Textile fabrics [cotton, wool, silk, linen, rayon, nylon] 
   
5. 
   Drugs and disinfectants [penicillin, quinine, aspirin, sulfa drugs] 
   
6. 
   Poisons [opium, strychnine] 
   
7. 
   Perfumes [vanillin, camphor] 
   
8. 
   Explosives [nitroglycerine, dynamite, picric acid, TNT] 
   
9. 
   Dyes [indigo, congo red, malachite green] 
   
10. 
    War gases [mustard gas, chloropicrin, lewisite]
    

Carbon compounds are of a second type which can be prepared from minerals such as oxygen, halogens and metals. These are "inorganic" and result in compounds like carbon dioxide, sodium chloride, copper sulphate, potassium nitrate, sodium carbonate, etc. Their chemistry is referred to as "Inorganic Chemistry".

Carbon

Carbon undergoes oxidation by combining with oxygen at higher temperature to form oxides, viz., carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). Carbon monoxide is formed when incomplete combustion of carbon or carbon containing fuels take place.

C + 1212 O₂ →→ CO_(g)

CO is present in automobile exhausts (when there is incomplete combustion), volcanic gases, chimney gases, etc.

C + O_2(g) →→ CO_2(g) + Heat

2CO + O_2(g) →→ 2CO_2(g) + Heat

CH₄ + 2O_2(g) →→ CO_2(g) + 2H₂O

Combustion

Combustion means the burning of a substance. It is a process that is highly exothermic, i.e., produces a lot of heat. The products of combustion of carbon and its compounds are heat energy, carbon dioxide and water (vapor).

- A combustible substance: All carbon compounds are combustible except carbon as diamond.

- A supporter of combustion: Atmospheric air or oxygen gas is a supporter of combustion. Combustion does not take place in their absence. Carbon dioxide or nitrogen gases do not support combustion.

- Heating to ignition temperature: A minimum amount of temperature or heat is required to enable a fuel to catch fire. Coal has a high ignition temperature; a matchstick cannot produce enough heat to ignite it. However, a matchstick can ignite paper or LPG gas as it has low ignition temperature.

- When the above conditions are present in any combustion process, proper combustion (energy production) takes place with minimum wastage and pollution.

- For example, if an ideal fuel like LPG (high calorific value and relatively high amounts of branched hydrocarbons) is available, a sufficient and continuous supply of oxygen should be maintained to burn it. If the ignition spark or flame is sufficient then the combustion is smooth and completes as follows.

In a very limited supply of air methane gives carbon black.

Some carbon compounds are very combustible and have an explosive reaction with air, e.g., alkenes. They burn with a luminous flame to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor.

Some hydrocarbon compounds undergo cracking or thermal decomposition. In this process, substances are heated to high temperatures of (500 - 8000C) in the absence of air, and they decompose into a mixture of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons and hydrogen.