Sol-gel route was used to prepare SiO2 xerogels containing carbon nanoparticles. Three kinds of beta-SiC nanostructures were obtained by carbothermal reduction of the xerogels under different conditions. XRD and IR studies show that the powders, obtained from carbothermal reduction at 1650 degrees for 2.5 h in static argon atmosphere, are beta-SiC. TEM reveals that the powders are nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 30 to 100 nm. The specific surface area of the powders are 15.7 m(2)/g. TEM, SAED and EDX show that the products, synthesized by carbothermal reduction at 1650 degrees C for 1.5 h, and followed by heating to 1800 degrees C, holding for 30 min in flowing argon atmosphere, are nanowires that consist of 10- to 25-nm-diameter crystalline beta-SiC cores surrounded by amorphous SiO2 sheathes with outer diameters of between 20 and 70 nm. While TEM and SAED demonstrate that the products, formed by carbothermal reduction at 1650 degrees for 2.5 h in flowing argon atmosphere, are bare SiC nanowires with diameters in the range of 15-30 nm.