  Astronomical observations and analysis of stardust isolated from meteorites
have revealed a highly diverse interstellar and circumstellar grain inventory,
including a wide range of amorphous materials and crystalline compounds
(silicates and carbon). This diversity reflects the wide range of stellar
sources injecting solids into the interstellar medium each with its own
physical characteristics such as density, temperature and elemental composition
and highlights the importance of kinetics rather than thermodynamics in the
formation of these compounds. Based upon the extensive literature on soot
formation in terrestrial settings, detailed kinetic pathways have been
identified for the formation of carbon dust in C-rich stellar ejecta. These
have been incorporated in astronomical models for these environments. In recent
years, the chemical routes in the nucleation of oxides and silicates have been
the focus of much astronomical research. These aspects of stardust formation
will be reviewed and lessons for dust formation in planetary atmospheres will
be drawn with the emphasis on the influence of kinetics on the characteristics
and structure of dust in these environments.
