Giant Covalent Structures and Fullerenes Flashcards
In giant covalent structures, how strong are the atoms bonded?
All of the atoms are bonded to each other by strong covalent bonds.
What are the melting and boiling points like in giant covalent structures?
They have very high melting and boiling points as lots of energy is needed to break the covalent bonds.
Do giant covalent structures conduct electricity?
Generally giant covalent structures don’t conduct electricity, as they don’t contain charged particles (apart from graphite and graphene).
Are giant covalent structures soluble in water?
No.
What are diamond, graphite and graphene all made up of?
A network of carbon atoms.
In diamond, how many covalent bonds does each carbon atom make?
Each carbon atom makes four covalent bonds.
What melting point does diamond have, and why?
Diamond has a high melting point, because the strong covalent bonds require lots of energy to break.
In diamond, how are the carbon atoms arranged?
The strong covalent bonds hold the atoms in a rigid lattice structure, making diamond really hard.
How is diamond used?
It’s used to strengthen cutting tools because it is really hard.
In graphite, how many covalent bonds does each carbon atom make?
Each carbon atom makes three covalent bonds.
In graphite, how are the carbon atoms arranged?
The covalent bonds create sheets of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons.
Are there covalent bonds between the layers in graphite?
No, they are only held together weakly, so they’re free to move over each other. This makes graphite soft and slippery.
How is graphite used?
It’s ideal as a lubricating material because it’s soft and slippery.
Can also be used to make electrodes as each carbon has a free electron to conduct electricity.
What melting point does graphite have?
Graphite has a high melting point - the covalent bonds in the layers need loads of energy to break.
Can graphite conduct electricity?
Yes.
