Carbon: The Black, the Gray and the Transparent [Hardcover]

All living things contain carbon in some form, as it is the primary component of macromolecules including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), and carbohydrates. As a matter of fact, it is the backbone of all organic (chemistry) compounds forming different kinds of bonds. Carbon: The Black, the Gray and the Transparent is not a complete scientific history of the material, but a book that describes key discoveries about this old faithful element while encouraging broader perspectives and approaches to its research due to its vast applications. All allotropes of carbon are described in this book, along with their properties, uses, and methods of procurement or manufacturing. Black carbon is represented by coal, gray carbon is represented by graphite, and transparent carbon is represented by diamond.

1. Carbon, the Black, the Gray and the Transparent.- 2. Historical Production and Use of Carbon Materials----The Activated Carbon.- 3. Historical Production and Use of Carbon Materials- (Carbon Composites).- 4. Historical Production and Use of Carbon Materials-(polymers).- 5. Coal, the Black Carbon.- 6. Carbon, the Gray (Graphite).- 7. (Graphene).- 8. (Carbon Nanotubes, CNTs).- 9. The Transparent Carbon---the Diamond.- 10. Fullerenes.

Dr. Tapan Gupta has a Ph. D degree and a M.S degree in solid state physics, with four years undergraduate physics (Hons), mathematics, chemistry, and biology. His postdoctoral training was on polymers chemistry and its applications in CD technology and related devices, such as integrated circuits. He was with the Research and Development department of the Zenith Radio Corp. in Chicago, IL and did research on integrated circuits and related materials (photoresists and metal silicon alloys). His academic qualifications, together with his experience, enable him to teach courses on VLSI and thick thin film hybrid circuits to graduate students at Tufts University, Medford, Mls(