Graphite is the equilibrium structure for carbon under all normally encountered conditions of temperature and pressure. It is characterized by layers of carbon atoms in which the atoms are arranged on a hexagonal (chicken wire) net with an interatomic distance 1.42A. These layers are stacked in an alternating sequence--ABABABA--, such that alternate carbon layers are situated directly above each other and adjacent layers being displaced by an amount equal to a side of the hexagon. This gives rise to a three dimensional atomic order which is distinctly characteristic of graphite.