Giant covalent structures Flashcards
What is diamond made from
carbon atoms
Why is diamond hard
each carbon atom is joined to 4 other carbon atoms
Why doesn’t diamond conduct electricity
no delocalised electron as all electrons used up in bonding
What is graphite made from
carbon layer (hexagonal ring of carbon atoms)
Why is graphite soft and slippery
layers slide over each other because weak intermolecular forces break easily
Why does graphite conduct electricity
each carbon atom has a delocalised electron this carries a charge between the layers
Why does diamond have a high melting point
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
as it contains less bonds so it requires less energy to break them
