Question

A black solid by itself, this element is incredibly important because of what it makes when it combines with many other elements, including oxygen?

Answer 1

carbon

Carbon is an element. By itself, its a black solid. You can see a lump of carbon in Figure below . Carbon is incredibly important because of what it makes when it combines with many other elements. Carbon can form a wide variety of substances. For example, in the air, carbon combines with oxygen to form the gas carbon dioxide.