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Vote in Round 1 Match 16
It's a pair of industrially-vital minerals for the final match of the first round as tin ore Cassiterite is up against elemental carbon Graphite.
Cassiterite from Bolivia. Credit: Carles Millan
Cassiterite is a tin oxide with frequent twinning, named for the Greek for "tin" (κασσίτερος) used in classic epics like Homer's Iliad. Cassiterite has been mined since at least the 6th millennium BCE as one of the earliest ores used by humans, with pre-Greek etymology potentially tracing back to Babylonia or the Kassites. It remains an important ore today, although classified as a conflict mineral alongside gold and diamonds due to ongoing fighting over cassiterite deposits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Graphite from New York, United States. Credit: Domenic Preite / M. Chinellato
Elemental carbon graphite's very name is a tribute to its most distinctive characteristic of being soft enough to mark paper, its name coming from the Greek word "to write" (γράφειν ). Graphite is a polymorph of diamond, sharing an identical chemical composition but radically different crystal structure leading them to be on the extreme opposites for hardness and electrical conductivity. Graphite has been used since prehistoric times, including as a dye, grave gift, and with pottery, while modern use includes as a writing utensil, steelmaking, lubricants, and far more. Recycled graphite is used in brake linings and thermal insulation, while synthetic graphite is helping meet growing demand driven by batteries for electric vehicles.
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