Carbon a streak on paper (hence its name, from the Greek verb "γράφειν" which means "to write"), while diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material known. Graphite is a good electrical conductor while diamond has a low electrical conductivity. Under normal conditions, diamond, carbon nanotubes, and graphene have the highest thermal conductivities of all known materials. All carbon allotropes are solids under normal conditions, with graphite being the most thermodynamically stable form at standard temperature and pressure. They are chemically resistant and require high temperature to react even with oxygen. The most common oxidation state of carbon in inorganic compounds is
Geochemistry of carbon carbon and an oxygen to sulfur. In molecular clouds, simple carbon molecules are formed, including carbon monoxide and dicarbon. Reactions with the trihydrogen cation of the simple carbon molecules yield carbon containing ions that readily react to form larger organic molecules. Carbon compounds that exist as ions, or isolated gas molecules in the interstellar medium, can condense onto dust grains. Carbonaceous dust grains consist mostly of carbon. Grains can stick together to form larger aggregates. Meteorites and interplanetary dust shows the composition of solid material at the start of the Solar System, as they have not been modified since its