The chemical symbol for carbon is C.
Carbon is element 6 on the periodic table, so its symbol is the single capital letter C. The symbol comes from the element’s English and Latin-rooted name, carbon, which ultimately relates to charcoal and coal.
Carbon is a nonmetal in group 14 and is tetravalent: in many stable compounds, each carbon atom forms four covalent bonds. This bonding flexibility allows carbon to build chains, rings, and complex three-dimensional structures, making it the foundation of organic chemistry and all known life.
Do not confuse C with the symbols for nearby or similarly named elements. Cu is copper, Co is cobalt, and Ca is calcium. Carbon also appears in familiar substances and materials including graphite, diamond, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and biological molecules such as sugars, fats, and proteins.
Carbon has several allotropes, meaning different structural forms of the same element. Diamond and graphite are both made of carbon, but their atoms are arranged differently, giving them dramatically different properties.