car'bon

A non-metallic element occurring in nature uncombined, in the form of anthracite, the diamond, and graphite. Wood charcoal, lampblack, and animal charcoal consist almost entirely of elementary c. Combined with oxygen, it occurs to a small extent in the atmosphere, and in the form of organic compounds it is found in all animal and vegetable ti ues. It is also found as a relic of extinct animal and vegetable organisms in the form of carbonates (chalk, coral, limestone) and of coal, and its occurrence in petroleum is probably of like origin. It is also produced (in the form of lampblack, gas c, or charcoal) by the incomplete combustion of animal or vegetable ti ue. Chemical symbol C.