SECTION D – CARBON, THE BASIS FOR LIFE ON EARTH D1 Properties of carbon

Carbon is a component of all foodstuffs, fuels (including wood, gas, and oil), and fabrics (including clothing materials, paper, rubber, etc.).

At the mid-point of the twentieth century, over 6 million compounds containing carbon had been identified. This number is growing at the rate of around 1000 new compounds being synthesized or isolated from natural sources each year.