Carbon is an element found not only in our own bodies, but in all sorts of places throughout the world. One of the most interesting things about carbon is the way carbon atoms can combine in different ways to display very different properties.

Types of carbon found in the ordinary world include coal, graphite and diamonds, all of which display great differences in hardness and electrical properties as a result of differences in the way their carbon atoms are linked. Graphite, for example, is a semimetal that conducts electricity, but diamond is an excellent insulator.

Carbon atoms link up at the nano level in various ways as shown in the diagram below, and each of these structures display special properties.