Praise for the previous edition:

"...clear and detailed...informative...comprehensive...will be [a] useful addition to most libraries."—School Library Journal

The versatility of carbon is what makes this element such a large part of human life. All life on Earth is carbon-based, and humans cannot live without it. In addition, most of the energy that humans use to power homes and cars comes from carbon combustion. As a result of these multiple, widespread uses of carbon, humans have accidentally disrupted the Earth's balance of this element—with largely unknown future consequences. Now, science looks to the chemistry of carbon to set the balance straight. Carbon Chemistry, Third Edition describes how carbon is an essential element for life on Earth, where it is found in everyday life, and what is being done to offset the increased carbon emissions modern life has caused.