Rocks and minerals
Diamond and graphite
Carbon is a native element that, on its own, forms two very different minerals: the diamond (precious stone) and graphite. The diamond is the hardest mineral in nature, as it is made up only of carbon atoms with very strong chemical bonds (covalent bonds) that are present in the space forming a tree-dimensional crystal lattice. Also graphite is a mineral that is only made up of carbon atoms, but their bonds create horizontal layers, as if they were building floors. The different floors are linked by weak chemical bonds and form a mineral whose layers easily break.The environmental conditions during mineral formation and in particular the different temperatures and pressures determine the way carbon binds to other carbon atoms.
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