Carbon exists in several forms. It can be found as diamonds, coal, and graphite in pencils. Which statement about carbon is FALSE? A) All carbon atoms have 6 protons. B) All carbon atoms have 6 neutrons. C) All carbon atoms have an atomic mass equal to the sum of protons and neutrons. D) All carbon atoms have an atomic number of 6.

The false statement about carbon among the options provided is: B) All carbon atoms have 6 neutrons.

Explanation:

• Carbon atoms can have varying numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, resulting in different isotopes of carbon.
• The most common isotope of carbon, known as carbon-12 (^12C), has 6 neutrons (along with 6 protons) in its nucleus, making up the majority of naturally occurring carbon.
• However, there are other isotopes of carbon, such as carbon-13 (^13C) and carbon-14 (^14C), which have different numbers of neutrons. Carbon-13 has 7 neutrons, while carbon-14 has 8 neutrons, making them isotopes of carbon with different neutron counts but the same atomic number (6 protons).

So, while the atomic number of carbon (6 protons) remains constant for all carbon atoms (option D), not all carbon atoms have precisely 6 neutrons (option B), as isotopes of carbon can have different neutron counts while retaining the same atomic number.