From: schillin@spock.usc.edu   
      
   iain-3@truecircuits.com writes:   
      
   >Well, graphite is the low-energy form of carbon.  My bad.   
      
   >Diamond is a little  higher, but nowhere near 700 kJ/mol.   
      
   >Atomic carbon does have 700 kJ/mol, and would be an excellent   
   >propellant, except... I have no idea what atomic carbon looks   
   >like, nor have I read any reports of anyone getting any.   
      
   In solid form, it looks like a very bright white light, bright enough   
   to sear your flesh to the bone.  And you don't have any reports of   
   anyone getting any because if anyone were both clever and foolish   
   enough to get any, well, see above.   
      
   Same deal with atomic hydrogen, atomic oxygen, or atomic anything   
   else but a noble gas.  However impressive the thermochemistry may   
   look on paper, the moment you try to condense the stuff to a   
   tangible density, it go boom.   
      
      
   --   
   *John Schilling                    * "Anything worth doing,         *   
   *Member:AIAA,NRA,ACLU,SAS,LP       *  is worth doing for money"     *   
   *Chief Scientist & General Partner *    -13th Rule of Acquisition   *   
   *White Elephant Research, LLC      * "There is no substitute        *   
   *schillin@spock.usc.edu            *  for success"                  *   
   *661-718-0955 or 661-275-6795      *    -58th Rule of Acquisition   *   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)