Ludwik asked, "Why Si and not C-12, as it is now, in chemistry? Silicon,
like oxygen, has three stable isotopes."
I think it is because silicon has been extensively studied with x-ray
crstallography and it has a stable precisely known lattice, and we know
how to work with it (because of our extensive semiconductor research).
In order to have a carbon kilogram with a good crystal structure we
would have to turn to diamond. I would like to have a one-kilogram
diamond. Actually, I would like to sell a one-kilogram diamond.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu