I'm not biting. I predict this is a rhetorical question, designed as nothing more than a springboard for more silly trolling. *unsub*
The colour of any substance depends on the electron configuration of the substance, essentially. That determines which wavelengths of light are absorbed and which can pass through. The arrangement of atoms and molecules in the substance is also important, for determining whether light is reflected, absorbed or passes through.
Many elements are grey, carbon is black. Carbon is black with a very high boiling point, I bet that carbon requires a lot of energy in its electron shell before it repels and boils. But why is carbon so much darker then other elements?
I think the question of why materials are black is not trivial. The material needs to absorb light of all visible wavelengths and not re-emit it at all in the visible, but convert it instead to heat before -re-radiating. Metals are shiny because they have a conduction band of almost free electrons that can acquire and lose momentum without having to jump to a specific excited state to do so. So they can oscillate, within a continuum of energy states, with the electric vector of incoming radiation and thereby will re-radiate it immediately. Graphite has electrons that are almost free to move but only along planes, i.e. in 2 dimensions only, due to the freedom of the π-bonding electrons to move across the plane of the almost infinite array of fused aromatic carbon rings. One might expect graphite to look shiny when light is incident on one of these exposed planes and indeed crystals of graphite are shiny, even though they are black. So what makes it black, in spite of the shiny surface? Light can give up its energy to make the electrons in each plane oscillate. The first layer won't absorb all the light so some will reach planes that are several layers in (cf. skin depth). The question is then what happens in each plane. There must be rapid pathways for energy to be transferred from the π-electrons to vibration of the bonds, thus converting the energy to heat. Typically in dyes etc, light absorbed in this way causes electrons to jump to low-lying π* antibonding orbitals. This will cause the bonds between the π-bonded atoms involved to lengthen. I can imagine, then, that light absorption by graphite might cause bond lengthening and the excitation of phonons in the solid. But I am speculating here. I don't know the answer.
Well the layman's recipe for corn starch and water as opposed to yours guys fancy french full course meals on the subject would be to say the nucleus is black and the electricity in the electron is white, and the two mixed together make a grey. But I won't get any more detailed then that as I don't want to 'offend' some of the members here.
We know you're not serious and are just trolling for fun. It gets old quickly. Reporting to have trevor banned from posting nonsense in the hard science forums - and this thread - which we all knew was a springboard for trolling - moved to Cesspool.
Uh I read the other responses Dave C, and respect those members for contributing, as was determined none of us know for sure because there is no answer yet. Your comments on the other hand being so witty and funny, like an innocent person who can't be cruel, someone with no evil inside them that can craft such pure innocent crying like a baby when he is bothered, it really is quite the experience to turn you off ignore and read the trolling crap you write.
No you don't. You show no respect for the forum or its readers when you deliberately and habitually fill this forum with non-science. I'm not really troubled if someone so disrespectful of others doesn't "respect" me (do you even know what that means?) when I call them out for trolling. You always have the option of taking your interests seriously, and perhaps eventually getting taken seriously in return.
Your openness to how big you are being compassionate for them before yourself is like a little birdy has landed in my window chirping away a beautiful song about how beautiful it is. Awww. Its so great to have the acquaintance of you who has (Jeopardy announcer's voice) 17,387 comments!!
All white elements have a frigid low boiling point, perhaps because the electron shell is bright and full it can't take on much heat before the atom's repel. Carbon which is black takes a lot of heat to cause repulsion. The rest of the atom's don't line up in a grey scale from white to black in boiling point however. A lot of the colorful element's have low boiling point's.
Moderator note: trevor borocz johnson has been warned (again) for posting pseudoscientific nonsense in our Science sections. Due to accumulated warning points, it seems that trevor has been automatically and permanently banned. Therefore, trevor won't be joining us in future. He can't say he wasn't warned.
