My name is Bon, and I am a carbon atom. I am a non-metal element, living in the north eastern region of the periodic table, in Period 2, Group IV, which means I have two occupied shells and contain 4 electrons in my valance shell. I am universally renowned from my chemical symbol of C, and distinguished by my atomic number 6, and the atomic mass 12.01. Without me, life as we know it would not exist. Out of the other109 elements in the periodic table, I am the only one that has the properties that make it possible for living systems to develop, due to my unique ability to form a wide range of compounds.
             This is on account of the fact that I have four electrons available for bonding with other atoms. I can also share my electrons with other carbon atoms, like myself, in a form called covalent bonding. A compound that I am most commonly found in is oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, chlorine, and hydrogen.
             Last year I bonded with 11 carbons and 26 hydrogens and formed a large molecule. We were great together, and we had lots in common, with our similar electronegativites, which allowed us to form a non-polar compound, decane. Decane is a hydrocarbon, a type of organic compound. Along with other chemical compounds, but mainly with hydrocarbons, we formed a fossil fuel, crude oil. Fossil fuels are formed when some dead organisms are compressed under land, or water for long periods, and undergo chemical changes. It wasn't until one day; we were mined and sent to a power plant station. There, we were subjected to high temperatures in the presence of a catalyst. This process we underwent, was called Catalytic Cracking. The high temperatures caused us to break down into smaller, and more useful molecules, but the temperatures also caused us to decompose. The catalyst was used to lower the temperature at which we would crack, and prevented us from decomposing. The catalyst also had an advantage of producing the industrially important hydrocarb...