Moissanite is naturally occurring silicon carbide and its various crystalline polymorphs. It has the chemical formula SiC and is a rare mineral, discovered by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893. Silicon carbide or moissanite is useful for commercial and industrial applications due to its hardness, optical properties and thermal conductivity.
Moissanite
A moissanite engagement ring
Moissanite: emerald cut
Ferdinand Frédéric Henri Moissan was a French chemist and pharmacist who won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in isolating fluorine from its compounds. Moissan was one of the original members of the International Atomic Weights Committee.
Moissan in 1906
Moissan's 1892 observation of the color of fluorine gas (2), compared to air (1) and chlorine (3)
Moissan attempting to create synthetic diamonds using an electric arc furnace