Pure forms of carbon

Carbon is everywhere: it froms rocks, plants, animals (proteins, DNA, etc ), plastics, etc. Those usually contain carbon as well as other atoms, like nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen among others.

There are some materials, however, that contain only carbon. These are pure forms of carbon.

They are:

Those are known as allotropic forms of carbon, as they are different materials made of the same element. The difference are the crystal structures. Click on the links to observe the structures in each case.

Graphite has the atoms arranged in 2D layers , one on top of the other. Each atoms is bonded to another 2, all in the same plane. This is one of the softest materials known, as the layers can be easily displaced.

Diamond, on the other hand, has each atom bonded to another 3, in a 3D fashion. This is the hardest material known.

These examples show how a different crystal structure can change drastically the properties of materioals made of the same element.

Pure forms of carbon