Carbon vs Hydrogen
The backbone of every living thing versus the most common atom in the universe — the pair every organic chapter begins with.
Side by side
| Property | Carbon | Hydrogen |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | C | H |
| Atomic number (Z) | 6 | 1 |
| Atomic mass | 12.011 u | 1.008 u |
| Category | Nonmetal | Nonmetal |
| Group | 14 | 1 |
| Period | 2 | 1 |
| Phase at room temp | solid | gas |
| Electron configuration | [He] 2s^2 2p^2 | 1s^1 |
| Valence electrons | 4 | 1 |
| Atomic radius | 67 pm | 53 pm |
| Electronegativity | 2.55 | 2.2 |
| First ionisation energy | 1086 kJ/mol | 1312 kJ/mol |
The verdicts
- Bigger atom: Carbon — the lower an element sits in its group, the more shells it wears.
- Greedy electron-taker: Carbon — higher electronegativity means it pulls shared electrons harder.
- Heavier: Carbon — compare the atomic masses in the table above.
Want the visual version with bars for radius, electronegativity and ionisation energy? Open the interactive compare tool with this pair already loaded.