Quantum mechanics Quote by Mark Miodownik

““the difference between hard transparent diamond and soft black graphite is not to do with their atoms: in both cases, they are made of exactly the same pure element, carbon. It is by changing how they are arranged, by altering them from a cubic structure into layers of hexagonal sheets, that the radical differences in their material properties are brought about. These structures are not arbitrary—you cannot create any structure—but are governed by the rules of quantum mechanics, which treat atoms not as singular particles but as an expression of many waves of probability. (This is why it makes sense to refer to the atoms themselves as structures, as well as their formation when they bond with one another.) Some of these quantum structures create electrons that can move, and this results in a material that can conduct electricity. Graphite has such a structure, and so conducts electricity. Exactly the same atoms in a diamond but in a different structure do not allow the electrons to move so easily within the crystal, and so diamonds do not conduct electricity. It is also why they are transparent. This””

— Mark Miodownik