what is a carbon atom
The six electrons can't all go around the nucleus at the same distance-only two electrons can fit in the inner shell. So some of the electrons have to go farther away from the nucleus. A carbon atom has two shells, with two electrons in the inner shell and four electrons in the outer shell.But that outer shell could hold as many as eight electrons-it's not full.ost of what we use for fuel is made of carbon, too. Coal, gasoline, oil, and wood are all made of hydro-carbons. In the picture you can see leftover carbon dust pouring out of this truck that burns diesel fuel. It's this carbon pouring into the air that's causing global warming.