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Graphite and diamond are two of the most interesting minerals. They are identical chemically – both are composed of carbon (C), but physically, they are very different. Minerals which have the same chemistry but different crystal structures are called polymorphs.
What is the polymorph of graphite?
Graphite is a polymorph of the element carbon. diamond is another polymorph. The two share the same chemistry, carbon, but have very different structures and very different properties. Diamond is the hardest mineral known to man, Graphite is one of the softest.
What is the relationship between diamond and graphite?
Both graphite and diamonds are made out of pure carbon. The chemical composition of the two is exactly the same. This makes graphite and diamonds allotropes of carbon along with amorphous, which is commonly called soot or carbon black.
Is graphite and diamond compound?
Organic compounds are substances that contain carbon. There is a vast array of natural and synthetic organic compounds because of the ability of carbon to form four covalent bonds. Carbon can also form giant covalent structures, including diamond and graphite .
What element is diamond and graphite?
Diamond and Graphite Diamond is composed of the single element carbon, and it is the arrangement of the C atoms in the lattice that give diamond its amazing properties. Compare the structure of diamond and graphite, both composed of just carbon.
Which is harder graphite or diamond?
Diamond is harder than graphite because each of its carbon atoms form four covalent bonds in a tetrahedral structure and also due to the presence of strong covalent bonds in it. Therefore, diamond is hard but graphite is soft and slippery even though both have carbon present in them.
Are graphite and diamond isomers?
Definition: Chemical compound that has the same molecular formula – the same number and kinds of atoms – as another compound, but a different structural arrangement of the atoms in space, and, therefore, different properties. For example, graphite (pencil lead) and diamond are isomers of carbon.
Why is graphite and diamond different?
Graphite and diamond are two of the most interesting minerals. They are identical chemically – both are composed of carbon (C), but physically, they are very different. Graphite is very soft and has a hardness of 1 to 2 on this scale. Diamonds are the hardest known natural substance and have a hardness of 10.
Why is diamond so hard?
Diamonds are made of carbon so they form as carbon atoms under a high temperature and pressure; they bond together to start growing crystals. That’s why a diamond is such a hard material because you have each carbon atom participating in four of these very strong covalent bonds that form between carbon atoms.
What are 3 differences between diamond and graphite?
For example, Graphite and diamond are two different allotropes of carbon.Explain the difference in properties of diamond and graphite on the basis of their structures. DIAMOND GRAPHITE 1) It has a crystalline structure. 1) It has a layered structure. 2) It is made up of tetrahedral units. 2) It has a planar geometry.
Can a diamond conduct electricity?
Diamond is a form of carbon in which each carbon atom is joined to four other carbon atoms, forming a giant covalent structure. As a result, diamond is very hard and has a high melting point. It does not conduct electricity as there are no delocalised electrons in the structure.
Why is diamond more dense than graphite?
In a diamond, the carbon atoms are arranged tetrahedrally. It is a strong, rigid three-dimensional structure that results in an infinite network of atoms. This accounts for diamond’s hardness, extraordinary strength and durability and gives diamond a higher density than graphite (3.514 grams per cubic centimeter).
Why graphite is a good lubricant?
Graphite is used as a lubricant due to its slippery nature. Due to its loosely intact carbon atoms or free electrons, they can move around easily from one place to another, making graphite a good conductor of electricity.
Is diamond a natural element?
Diamond is a form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. At room temperature and pressure, another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon, but diamond almost never converts to it. Diamond Formula mass 12.01 g/mol.
Why is graphite slippery?
Graphite has delocalised electrons, just like metals. The forces between the layers in graphite are weak. This means that the layers can slide over each other. This makes graphite slippery, so it is useful as a lubricant .
Why is diamond structure so strong?
The outermost shell of each carbon atom has four electrons. In diamond, these electrons are shared with four other carbon atoms to form very strong chemical bonds resulting in an extremely rigid tetrahedral crystal. It is this simple, tightly-bonded arrangement that makes diamond one of the hardest substances on Earth.
What is harder than a diamond?
Moissanite, a naturally occurring silicon-carbide, is almost as hard as diamond. It is a rare mineral, discovered by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893 while examining rock samples from a meteor crater located in Canyon Diablo, Arizona. Hexagonal boron-nitride is 18% harder than diamond.
Why is diamond harder than graphite GCSE?
While there are strong covalent bonds between carbon atoms in each layer, there are only weak forces between layers. This allows layers of carbon to slide over each other in graphite. In this rigid network atoms cannot move. This explains why diamonds are so hard and have such a high melting point.
Are Diamonds brittle?
The bonds formed are strong and rigid. So now we know the reason for the hardness of the diamond. It is one of the hardest materials known and because of its hardness it is also used for cutting material and for polishing them. Diamond is hard enough but it is brittle also.
Why are graphite and diamond not similar?
Graphite and Diamond are different because they have different structures. Both have Giant Covalent Structures, resulting in very high melting temperatures. However each carbon atom in Diamond has 4 covalent bonds with other Carbons, making it extremely strong and hard.
Which is stronger diamond or graphene?
Graphene, on the other hand, is the strongest material ever recorded, more than three hundred times stronger than A36 structural steel, at 130 gigapascals, and more than forty times stronger than diamond.
Do Diamonds become graphite?
Diamond is the high-pressure phase that forms deep in the earth. Under normal conditions, diamond is metastable, meaning that it converts back to graphite when the process is initiated with sufficient energy. It can switch its internal structure to a different order, thereby turning into graphite.
