Abstract
Experimental results and model ideas on the structural organisation of different forms of condensed carbon are critically reviewed from the standpoint of polymer science. Stress is laid on the role of chemical bonds between molecules (branching points) and of lamellar and other supermolecular formations in the multi-step process leading to a three-dimensional development of the polymeric carbon structure. Many crystalline forms of carbon (in addition to diamond and graphite) are shown to exist as regular polymers of the carbyne or transitional types. 297 references.