A brand name for any of several artificial abrasives made from silicon carbide, fused alumina and other materials. Edward Atcheson accidentally made Carborundum in 1884 when he was attempting to synthesise diamonds. He incorrectly assumed his new product contained carbon and aluminium and hence trademarked the name Carborundum as a variant of corundum. His product was, however, composed of silicon carbide which has a Mohs hardness value of 9.17. Now many varieties of Carborundum are available with varying hardness and grit. Synonyms: silicon carbide. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2000). [J. Cassar, R. de Angelis]