The Marvel That is Carbon
Kirt's Cogitations™ #120

RF Cafe University "Factoids," "Kirt's Cogitations," and "Tech Topics Smorgasbord" are all manifestations of my ranting on various subjects relevant (usually) to the overall RF Cafe theme. All may be accessed on these pages:

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The Marvel That is Carbon

How can graphite and diamond be so different if they are both composed of pure carbon? A diamond is clear and hard and abrasive, while graphite is opaque and slippery. Diamond atoms are arranged as a tetrahedral, whereby each carbon attaches 3-dimensionally to three others. This accounts for its tremendous strength (diamond can scratch all other materials). In comparison, carbon atoms are arranged in layers with two kinds of bonds. Three are bonded with other carbon atoms at the corner of a hexagon, forming a 2-D chicken wire planar array. The layers then are held together weakly with the other bond. The third form of carbon, the Buckyball, was covered a while back in a Factoid, but don't expect to find one often in nature. While marveling at carbon, keep in mind that all living things are carbon-based.

Johanson Technology Prototyping Kit - RF Cafe

RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line, and a lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...