I. Introduction A. The History of Carbon II. Occurrences in Nature A. Diamond B. Graphite C. Coal and Charcoal D. Amorphous Carbon III. Carbon Compounds A. Inorganic B. Organic IV. The Carbon Cycle V. Conclusion Carbon, an element discovered before history itself, is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. It can be found in the sun, the stars, comets, and the atmospheres of most planets. There are close to ten million known carbon compounds, many thousands of which are vital to the basis of life itself WWW 1. Carbon occurs in many forms in nature. One of...
animal tissues have been protected by erosion and sedimentation from the natural agents of decomposition and converted into substances such as peat, lignite, petroleum, and coal. The carbon cycle, temporarily interrupted in this manner, is completed as fuels are burned, and carbon dioxide and water are again added to the atmosphere for reuse by living things, and the solar energy stored by photosynthesis ages ago is released Kinoshita 273-275.

Almost everything around us today has some connection with carbon or a carbon compound. Carbon is in every living organism. Without carbon life would not exist as we know it.