Symphony No. 6: Carbon and the Evolution of Almost Everything

Robert Hazen is an extraordinary scientist, music lover, and successful musician, which shapes the structure of his book, mirroring the principles of a symphony. Its leitmotif is chemical element No. 6 on the Periodic Table, or carbon, without which life is inconceivable, from its inception to everything that surrounds us in the modern world.

The chronological scope of the book is just under 14 billion years, from the emergence of the Universe to the present day. Throughout almost all of this time, carbon performs its unique role in the symphony of evolution.

The deep carbon cycle, carbon mineralogy, volcanic gases, diamond and graphite, organic fuel, nanotubes, climate, fossil remains of animals and plants – these are just a small part of the topics covered in this incredibly informative book.

Interesting facts: 

— Our body consists of more than 10^24 carbon atoms – 100 trillion trillion atoms of the sixth element.

— Before many eruptions, the ratio of volcanic CO2 to sulfur sharply increases in volcanic gases.

— Carbon occupies a unique place in the Periodic Table, being element No. 6, i.e., being in the middle of the period halfway between the magical two and ten electrons.

— The strength of hollow carbon nanotubes is astonishing: a thread with a diameter of only 0.1 mm can hold more than 10 tons of a stationary load.

— Drill a well to a depth of just over 1 km at almost any point on Earth – and with almost 100% probability, you will find microbial life there.