The hardest natural material — pure carbon locked in a cubic lattice

The soft, layered form of carbon in every pencil — and cousin to graphene

The soft, layered form of carbon in every pencil — and a cousin of diamond

The soft, layered form of carbon in every pencil — and a cousin of diamond

The slippery form of carbon in every pencil — flat sheets stacked in perfect layers

The crumbling, non-metallic form of tin — infamous for destroying Napoleon's army buttons

The shiny, everyday metallic form of tin used in cans and solder

The crumbling low-temperature form of tin — infamous as 'tin pest'

The familiar shiny form of tin used in cans and solder