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The Greeks had a word for
it
In Ancient Greece the regular
polyhedra symbolised the different elements, earth,
air, fire, water, and the universe. The cube was the
symbol of earth and the icosahedron the symbol of
water. The form of C60 (and a soccer ball)
can be derived from an icosahedron in which the
corners have been cut off - a truncated
icosahedron.
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Graphite and diamond - soft
and hard
Graphite is soft and black and
the stable, common form of carbon. Diamond is hard
and transparent and the unusual form of carbon. In
diamond each carbon atom is bound to four other
carbon atoms in a regular repetitive pattern. The
density is 3.51 g/cm3. In graphite the
carbon atoms are located at the corners of regular
and fused hexagons arranged in parallel layers. Its
density is considerably lower, 2.26
g/cm3.
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