Carbon vs Nitrogen

Side-by-side comparison of Carbon (C, element 6) and Nitrogen (N, element 7) by atomic structure and physical properties.

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PropertyC Carbon N Nitrogen
Atomic number67
SymbolCN
NameCarbonNitrogen
Categorynonmetalnonmetal
Standard Atomic Weight12.0106 u14.006855 u
Period22
Group1415
Blockpp
Phase at STPSolidGas
Electron configuration[He]2s22p2[He]2s22p3
Oxidation states[-4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4][-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Electronegativity (Pauling)2.553.04
Electron affinity1.2621 eV-0.07 eV
Density2267 kg/m³1.2506 kg/m³
Melting point3549.85 °C-210 °C
Boiling point3824.85 °C-195.79 °C
Discovery year17971772

Key Differences

PropertyC CarbonN Nitrogen
Standard Atomic Weight12.0106 u ↓ lower14.006855 u ↑ higher
Density2267 kg/m³ ↑ higher1.2506 kg/m³ ↓ lower
Melting point3549.85 °C ↑ higher-210 °C ↓ lower
Boiling point3824.85 °C ↑ higher-195.79 °C ↓ lower
Electronegativity (Pauling)2.55 ↓ lower3.04 ↑ higher
Electron affinity1.2621 eV ↑ higher-0.07 eV ↓ lower
Group14 15
Phase at STPSolid Gas
Electron configuration[He]2s22p2 [He]2s22p3
Discovery year1797 1772