ENERGY

o Structure of graphite and diamond

o Bonding of graphite and diamond
o Physical properties of graphite and
diamond
o
STRUCTURE AND
BONDING OF GRAPHITE
 In the form of Sp2 hybridized – three single
bonds on a single plane with each bond
120O and a 4th bond with delocalised
electrons between planes
 Same bond length between carbon atoms
 Form hexagonal arrays
 Strong covalent (524 KJ/mol) bonds within
planes – sharing electron pairs
 Weak Van der Waal bonds (pi bond)
between plane (4 KJ/mol)


Molecular Model
of Graphite
Carbon atoms arranged in
planes
Hexagonal arrays can be

seen
Weak Van derWaal

(delocalised electron) bond

between planes
ABAB stacking sequence
 Hexagonal and Rhombohedral
Graphite

Schematic of hexagonal graphite crystal. Schematic of rhombohedral graphite

View is perpendicular to basal crystal. View is perpendicular to
plane.
basal plane.
Physical properties of
Graphite
 Slight electronic conductivity due to
delocalised electrons (P orbital) along
planes (not through planes)
 High melting and boiling points because of
strong covalent bonds
 Has lubricity due to weak Van der Waal
bond between planes
 Is not transparent – low excitation and all
photons are absorbed
 Slightly reactive due to reactants
penetrating between layers of carbon
STRUCTURE AND
BONDING OF DIAMOND
 In the form of Sp3
hybridized – atoms have
four surrounding atoms
in three dimensions at
109O
 Same bond length between
carbon atoms
 Regular arrays in three
dimensions forming
diamond cubic crystal
structure
 Strong covalent bonds –
sharing electron pairs
Molecular Model
of Diamond
Carbon atoms arranged in
three dimensional lattice
All carbon atoms are bonded

to each other
Single electron bonds
Physical properties of
Diamond
No electronic conductivity (it is an insulator) due to all electrons being
localised
 Extremely high melting and boiling points due to strong covalent
bonds
 Transparent to visible light due to electrons being tight bound – light
photons get refracted
 Highest thermal conductivity of any solid at room temperature
 The ideal optical material capable of transmitting light from the far
infra-red to the ultraviolet
 Has a high index of refraction
 Its semiconductor properties are remarkable, with fifteen times the
average electric breakdown of common semiconductors, five
times their average hole mobility and a dielectric constant that is
half of that of silicon
 Extremely resistant to neutron radiation due to atom density
 Hardest-known material
 Excellent natural lubricity in air, similar to that of Teflon™
 Extremely high strength and rigidity
 Highest atom-number density of any material
Bibliography
 Handbook of Carbon, Graphite, Diamond and Fullerenes –
properties processing and application; Pierson, Hugh
O.; 1993 Noyes Publication, Park Ridge, New Jersey,
USA
 Carbon Allotropes – The same and not the same; Armfield,
Matthew A.; North Western University; 2000
 http://nature.berkeley.edu/classes/eps2//wisc/Lect6.html;
 Sadaway, Donald; Diamond vs Graphite; MIT; lecture
 http://invsee.asu.edu/nmodules/Carbonmod/; viewed 27 .
8.09
 http://www.nanoscienceworks.org/nanopedia/carbon-
allotropes; viewed 20.8.09
 http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~jaszczak/graphprop.html; viewed
27.8.09
 http://dendritics.com/scales/c-allotropes.asp; 18.8.09