Giant covalent structures Flashcards
Diamond contains
carbon atoms
Why is diamond hard
each carbon atom is joined to 4 other carbon atoms
Graphite contains
carbon layer - hexagonal ring of carbon atoms
Why is graphite soft and slippery
layers slide other each other because weak intermolecular forces break easily
Does diamond conduct electricity
no because there are no delocalised electrons to carry a charge as all electron are used up in bonding
Does graphite conduct electricty
yes because each carbon atom has a delocalised electron, this carries a charge between the layers
Why does diamond have a high melting points
giant structure that contains lots of strong covalent bonds which require large amounts of energy to break the bonds
Why does graphite have a lower melting point compared to diamond
it contains less bonds so requires less energy to break them
ERQ -
