The distribution of carbon in steels

The nature and characteristics of the way carbon present in steel is distributed spatially and over states may be related to quasichemical 'reactions' that lead to the formation in austenite ($\gamma$-Fe–C) and ferrite ($\alpha$-Fe–C) of 'carbo-austenite' and 'carbo-ferrite molecules' (nanocomplexes) consisting, along with C atoms, of, respectively, $\gamma$-Fe or $\alpha$-Fe and of octahedral $\gamma$- or $\alpha$-interstitials. In this way, various aspects of the quasichemical dissolution and diffusion 'reactions' of carbon in the material can be determined, as can the quasichemical component of the martensite transformation (MT) mechanism in carbon steels.