science
When carbon in the form of diamond is burned to produce CO2, more heat is given off than when carbon in the form of graphite is burned. What form of carbon is more stable under ordinary conditions? What bearing does this conclusion have on the origin of diamonds?
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The form of carbon that is more stable under ordinary conditions is diamond, as it requires more heat energy to break its strong covalent bonds than it does to break the weaker bonds in graphite. This conclusion has implications for the origin of diamonds, as it suggests that they must have been created by very high temperatures and pressures. This indicates that they were likely formed deep underground in the Earth’s mantle, where such conditions are present.
