The graphite found in your favorite pencil could have instead been the diamond your mother always wears. What made the difference? Researchers are finding out. How molten carbon crystallizes into ...

Carbon, one of the most versatile elements known, occurs in a multitude of allotropes that exhibit a wide array of physical and chemical properties. The diversity of carbon’s bonding—ranging from sp² ...

Molten carbon can crystallize into diamond or graphite, but it has been difficult to study this process. New simulations show that graphite can sometimes "hijack" the pathway that would lead to ...

Part of Combined Science Guiding Spaceship Earth towards a sustainable future The rigid network of carbon atoms, held together by strong covalent bonds, makes diamond very hard. This makes it useful ...