Allotropes of carbon

• Allotropes of Carbon

  Different forms of the element carbon
• Diamond

  • Very hard
  • Rigid covalent structure, made up of carbon atoms
  • Requires a lot of energy to break the strong covalent bonds
• Graphite

  • Contains sheets of hexagons
  • Each carbon atom only forms three bonds, leaving one electron free
  • The layers are held together weakly, allowing them to slide over each other
  • High melting point due to strong covalent bonds within the layers
  • Conducts electricity due to the free electrons
• Graphene

  • A single layer of graphite
  • Incredibly light and thin
  • Strong due to the network of covalent bonds
  • Can be added to composite materials to improve strength without adding much weight
  • Conducts electricity through the whole structure
• Fullerenes

  • Form spheres and tubes
  • Mainly made up of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons and pentagons
  • Can be used to 'trap' other molecules
  • Have a large surface area, so could be used as industrial catalysts
  • Can form nanotubes, which have a high strength-to-weight ratio and can conduct electricity and thermal energy
• Fullerenes

  • Buckminsterfullerene
• Nanotubes can be used in electronics or to strengthen materials without adding much weight, such as in tennis racket frames
• Technology that uses very small particles such as nanotubes is called nanotechnology
• Greetings in the Caribbean - they're 'allo-tropical'
• Before you go on, make sure you can explain the properties of all these allotropes of carbon
• Give three uses of fullerenes