Term: carbon black
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C00824

Definition:
An industrially manufactured colloidal carbon material in the form of spheres and of their fused aggregates with sizes below 1000 nm.

Note: Carbon black is a commercial product manufactured by thermal @D01547@, including detonation, or by incomplete combustion of carbon hydrogen compounds and has a well-defined @MT07285@ with a minimum content of tars or other extraneous materials. For historical reasons, however, carbon black is popularly but incorrectly regarded as a form of @S05768@. In fact, in many languages, the same word is used to designate both materials. Carbon black is manufactured under controlled conditions, whereas @S05768@ is randomly formed. They can be distinguished on the basis of tar, ash content and impurities. Attempts in the literature to create a general term, 'aciniform carbon', which would cover both carbon black and @S05768@, are not yet generally accepted.

Related Terms:
1) decomposition (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.D01547).
2) morphology (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.MT07285).
3) soot (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S05768).
4) colloidal carbon (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C01173).

Source: PAC, 1990, 62, 2167. 'Glossary of atmospheric chemistry terms (Recommendations 1990)' on page 2178 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199062112167)

Citation: 'carbon black' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C00824

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