TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The carbon nanoparticle includes fullerenic carbon. It includes a single-walled or multi-walled carbon nanotube or a nanofiber chemically attached to the core at end(s). It may include carbon nanotube or carbon nanofiber open at an end. The carbon nanoparticle composition comprises a coating of metal or metal oxide on the carbon nanoparticle. The atmosphere includes carbon monoxide or a mixture of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The second atmosphere includes an inert gas including helium, hydrogen, argon or a nitrogen-hydrogen mixture.Preferred Parameter: The shell covers at least 50% of a surface of the core. The particle includes at least 2 vol.% carbon nanoparticles. The shell has an average thickness of at least 2.5 nm. The particle has an average diameter of less than 100 microns. The pressure is greater than 0.001, preferably greater than 0.01 torr.Preferred Method: The method comprises heating an article including a metal carbide in an oxygen-containing gas atmosphere at a temperature at which the metal carbide is in an active oxidation regime and carbon is in a graphite stability regime. It comprises heating the article including the metal carbide to nucleate a carbon nanoparticle, prior to heating the article including the metal carbide in an inert gas atmosphere at 1000-2000, preferably 1200-2000, degreesC.Preferred Materials: The metal carbide is silicon carbide. The first metal is copper, iron, lead, nickel, cobalt, tin, zinc, sodium, chromium, manganese, tantalum, vanadium or boron. The reducing agent is a second metal. The second metal is silicon, titanium, aluminum, cerium, lithium, magnesium, calcium, lanthanum, beryllium, uranium or thorium. EXAMPLE - Crystolon (RTM; silicon carbide powder) (0.304 g) was spread on disc of high purity graphite crucible, and placed in a graphite resistance-heated high temperature furnace. The furnace was pumped down to primary vacuum, and heated from 1000-1700 degrees C in 1.5 hours, then held at 1690-1700 degrees C for 11 hours. The weight loss of the powder was 45.7%. The resulting particle consisted almost entirely of fullerenic carbon in the form of multiwalled nanotubes. Volumetrically dense, bulk carbon nanotubes were produced.