Group 14 Elements: The Carbon Family

Group 14: The Carbon Family

Group 14, the carbon family, comprises carbon (C), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn) and lead (Pb).

Carbon is the 17th most abundant element in the earth's crust and occurs both free and combined. Free carbon appears as coal, graphite and diamond; combined carbon occurs as metal carbonates, in hydrocarbons, and as $CO_2$ gas (about 0.03% of the atmosphere by volume). Carbon is often called the most versatile element because it combines readily with $H_2$, $O_2$, $Cl_2$ and $S$ to build an enormous range of materials — organic chemistry, the chemistry of carbon compounds, underlies all living tissue, drugs and plastics. Naturally occurring carbon has two stable isotopes, $^{12}C$ and $^{13}C$, and a third, radioactive isotope $^{14}C$ with a half-life of 5770 years — the basis of radiocarbon dating. …