Abstract Through the textual research on the development of the concept of carbon single substance, carbon is known as the non metal element in ancient times. By the 17-18 century,diamond and graphite were proved as elemental carbon with the rise of scientific experiments and the development of elementalism,the concept of elemental carbon was initially formed. The discovery of C60 in the 1980s and the discovery of carbon nanotubes, graphene and T-carbon later shed a new light on the concept of elemental carbon. In Chemistry Education, it is necessary to make students realize that the history of the concept of elemental carbon is the discovery history of substance, and the evolution of scientific thoughts and methods.
