Carbon Allotropes Flashcards
allotrope
elements that exist with their atoms in many different structural formulas
why is carbon a versatile element
it is tetravalent, 4 valence electrons, many it can form up to 4 covalent bonds, including double and triple and single bonds
what are bonded carbons often form
the backbone of molecules such as sugars, fats, amino acids and proteins
what are the pure forms of carbons bonded together called
atomic lattices where each carbon atom is covalently bonded to a number of other carbon atoms
what are the atomic lattices of carbon
diamond, graphite and amorphous carbon
diamond structure
carbon atoms covalently bonded to four other carbon atoms, this results in a 3 dimensional covalent network lattice
Graphite structure
carbons atoms covalently bonded to three other carbons, this results in layers of hexagonal, two dimensional covalent lattices that are held together by dispersion forces, the unpaired electrons more throught the lattices
what are the non-bonding electrons called in graphite
they become delocalised which means graphite can conduct electricity
diamond propertiees
high melting point, hard, brittle, non electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity and insoluble
why does diamond have a high melting point
a lot of energy is required to disrupt the covalent bonds of the lattices
why does diamond hard
it has a rigid 3D tetrahedral lattice which means when pressure is exherteed, it is reduced by spreading it around the tetrahedral structure
why does diamond brittle
the rigid lattice structure does not allow it to be bent, it will just break
why does diamond have no electrical conductivity
each carbon is a part of 4 single covalent bonds, meaning there are no free electrons
why does diamond have a high thermal conductivitty
the strong covalent bonds can absorb a lot of heat
why is diamond insoluble
the strengths of the covalent bonds cannot be overcome by the intermolecular forces of solvents like water
