Carbon, Diamond,Graphite

hi,

i did chemical bonding at my chimistry lesson today. Teacher taught us single,double,triple bonding etcc which i understood with no problems.

teacher also talked about Carbon structure as diamond,graphite and bukinghusr....(don't know the exaxt word). can anyone help me with this bit. whats carbon structure, what is it got to do with diamond,graphite etcc and is it relate to chemical bonding? My teacher won't help me as i am the one who always ask her questions during lesson. Please help.

Sainzay

Reply 1

JFN

1

charikaar

hi,

i did chemical bonding at my chimistry lesson today. Teacher taught us single,double,triple bonding etcc which i understood with no problems.

teacher also talked about Carbon structure as diamond,graphite and bukinghusr....(don't know the exaxt word). can anyone help me with this bit. whats carbon structure, what is it got to do with diamond,graphite etcc and is it relate to chemical bonding? My teacher won't help me as i am the one who always ask her questions during lesson. Please help.

Sainzay

Graphite and diamond are known as allotropes of Carbon. Allotropes are different configurations of the same atom (in this case, carbon).

Diamond has a network structure in which each carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms using 4 equally strong sigma bonds and sp3 hybrid orbitals.

Graphite has a layer structure in which each carbon atom is bonded to 3 other carbon atoms using 3 out of its 4 valence electrons (i.e. forming 3 sigma bonds with sp2 hybrid orbitals), whereby its 4th electron is involved in forming lateral Pi-bonds.

P.S. I can expound on that, but I'm sensing that its more than enough. What level of chemistry are you doing?

Reply 2

C4>O7

5

They're known as allotropes.
Diamond and graphite etc are all different forms of Carbon. In Graphite the Carbon giant covalent structure is like lots of 2D layers stacked on top of oneanother (each Carbon is bonded with 3 other Carbons, but all in a 2D plane); hence properties such as electrical conduction.
Diamond, however, has a 3D arrangement (each C bonded with 4 others in 3 dimensions) of the Carbon atoms so it is much much harder, higher melting temps etc.
They're just different ways Carbon can form giant covalent structures, and they have different properties accordingly.

Reply 3

charikaar

OP

Thanks for your swift respones. JFN I am doing Inermediate Level Chemistry GCSE at year 10.

Thank You.

Sainzay

Reply 4

visesh

17

charikaar

bukinghusr....(don't know the exaxt word).
Sainzay

Buckminsterfullerene aka Bucky's Balls

Reply 5

Jonatan

13

There is one more common allotrope you forgot guys. Namely the kind you find in coal. Here the carbon is not bound into a large structure, but instead the carbon atoms are boudn into small units of random size and shape that are all packed together.

Reply 6

ChemistBoy

16

visesh

Buckminsterfullerene aka Bucky's Balls

C60, there are also lots of nanotubes around now as well.

here's a good website about the allotropes of carbon - there are lots:

http://dendritics.com/scales/c-allotropes.asp

There is a whole scientific journal devoted to the element (rather unsuprisingly titled "Carbon").

Carbon, Diamond,Graphite

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