9781422279441

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Carbon

3750 bce when ancient Egyptians and Sumerians used charcoal, a form of pure carbon, to make bronze . Charcoal is formed when wood is burned and deprived of oxygen. What is left after this process is an impure form of carbon. Charcoal, especially in ancient times, was primarily used as a fuel, although today it has many alternative uses, including as a filtering device. The word carbon is thought to come from the Latin word for char- coal or coal: carbo. In French, the word is charbon , while in German it is kohle .

A Sumerian dagger made of bronze, which was created with the help of the carbon form called charcoal.

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