Carbide

Name:
Carbide
Detailed information:
A binary solid compound of carbon and another element. The most familiar carbides are those of calcium, tungsten, silicon, boron, and iron (cementite). Two factors have an important bearing on the properties of carbides: (1) the difference in electronegativity between carbon and the second element, and (2) whether the second element is a transition metal. Saltlike carbides of alkali metals are obtained by reaction with acetylene. Those obtained from silver, copper, and mercury salts are explosive.See Acetylide; Carbide, Refractory; Carbide, Cemented.