Kingpin Carbon – Why?

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Thu, 28 Aug 2025
  • 54 reads
4 comments
 

Beautiful, glittering, hard, hard diamond held aloft
or messy, useful, charcoal soft

– differing internal structure
as if each atom has four 'arms' that reach
and clasp more or its own,
hooking up in tight crystals, or thin fragile plates,

or catch and hold other kinds – in strings or rings,
as building blocks,
or energy-storers, 
or fascinating, complicated, large twisted exact shapes
that are like 'keys' or 'locks' 
to fit together to trigger specific reactions,
interactions. 

The atom that makes possible the complex chemistry of life:

[IP: Choose a chemical element]

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Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you for the cherries! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

Fantastic. The atomic structure - both are of pure carbon element, but graphite a planar carbon (2D-lattice) and diamond (a 3D structure). One would obviously not try it Rhiannon, but I've wondered could a diamond actually burn in oxygen like graphite?

The one being of the very softest on the Mohr scale, while the other is the hardest known substance.

Silicon also makes this kind of very ordinary SiO3 of 3D lattices as rubies, emerald, saphyre etc with different impurities.. Quarts crystal too, I don't know how it works.

Your explanations are excellent, sounds like a born teacher (mother, grandmother! Must be)

Goodnight sleep well! Tom

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Tom.

I think diamonds can burn, Tom, but need strong heat, because of the strong cystal-structure bonding.

I think rubies and emeralds are compounds of silicon?? 

I had some very good magazines when a young teenager that made science simple, and I love trying to convey what I know simply! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

Something like that! See you! Tom