Tuesday 8 December 2015

Lecture 7 – Carbon & its Allotropes: Diamond

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Figure
Source of Figure
Figure 19
www.addicteddiamonds.com

Carbon & its Allotropes:

Allotropes: Allotropes are different physical forms of the same element. For example, Carbon exists in 2 allotropes of Graphite and Diamond. Graphite is black and greasy, while diamond is the hardest material known to mankind.

Diamond:

Carbon in diamond forms a tetrahedral structure in which each carbon is bonded with 4 other carbon atom with strong and rigid covalent bonds. These account for the very high melting point of diamond and also makes it the strongest substance known to mankind. Since, all the valence electrons are bonded, and no free electrons are present, diamond cannot conduct electricity.

Figure 19: