Man has long been familiar with such a substance as graphite. This mineral has many beneficial properties that allow it to be used in a wide variety of areas, from everyday life to complex factory processes.
The name "graphite" comes from a word that can be translated from the ancient Greek language as "write", "write". This name is due to the fact that it is from graphite that pencil rods are made, which for more than one century have helped people express their thoughts on paper, draw and make sketches for paintings. The color of graphite is dark gray or grayish-black, and this substance also has a characteristic luster, akin to metallic.
Graphite is one of the forms that carbon can take in nature, depending on how the atoms of this element are connected to each other. Graphite conducts electricity very well and is highly resistant to thermal effects; it melts at temperatures above 3500 ° C. This mineral is weakly susceptible to acids, especially at low and medium temperatures, and the level of its diamagnetism is significantly higher than normal values.
Graphite is mined from various rocks, and its artificial counterparts are also made. The raw material for this, for example, can be carbides, which are exposed to high temperatures, or cast iron, which, on the contrary, is gradually cooled to obtain artificial graphite.
In addition to the centuries-old practice of making graphite rods for pencils, this mineral is also used in a number of other fields, including high-tech ones. It is used in the manufacture of heating elements (due to its ability to conduct electricity well), lubricants and refractory materials, in rocketry, as a filler for plastics and in nuclear reactors. Also, with the help of this mineral, even artificial diamonds are made. A significant advantage of graphite over other similar substances is the relatively low cost of its extraction and impressive volumes of natural reserves.
