Question

What is allotrope of carbon??​

Answer 1

Carbon:

• Carbon is an element present in the periodic table with atomic number = 6, group = 14, period = 2.
• It's a non-metal.
• Though it's present in a very less quantity on Earth, it's a highly essential element & is used by almost all the life forms present on Earth.

There's a section in chemistry completely dedicated to the study of carbon & its allotropes & is known as ⟶ organic chemistry.

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Before moving on to what allotropes of carbon are, let's first understand what is meant by allotropy.

Allotropy:

• Allotropy is the property of elements in which they are made of the same element but differ in their structure & other physical properties.
• These allotropes of the same element almost always have the same chemical property because they are from the same element.

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Now, moving on to carbon, it's not possible to tell how many allotropes it has as some have been discovered while others are yet to be. But, the 3 main allotropes of carbon are:

1. Graphite
2. Diamond
3. Fullerene

1. Graphite & its structure:

• Graphite (also known as black lead) consists of hexagonal rings of carbon atoms that are placed over each other in layers.
• One of its bond is a double bond.
• Graphite conducts electricity though it's a non metal as it has free electrons that can move from 1 place to another by carrrying charge with it.
• Also, the bonds between the carbon atoms in the parallel planes are weak, thus making it easy for one plane to slide over another when pressure is applied. Hence, graphite is soft & can be used as a lubricant.

2. Diamond & its structure:

• As we know, diamond is the hardest substance on Earth & it's made up of pure carbon.
• Diamond consists of 4 carbon atoms that are bonded to each other forming a rigid 3-dimensional structure (like a tetrahedron).
• Since this is a really combact structure in which atoms of a single unit lie in different planes, the carbon atoms cannot slip off. This makes diamond a really strong material.
• But diamond is a poor condictor of electricity because all the 4 valence electrons are involved in bonding thus making it immobile & hence they don't conduct electricity.

3. Fullerene & its structure:

• Now, fullerenes are a newly discovered class of alltropes of carbon & so they are yet to studied & explained fully.
• They are a group of carbon atoms that bond together & form a closed shape almost like a football.
• Buckministerfullerene (C-60) is made up of 60 atoms of atoms that are shaped like a ball. It also resembles the shape of a dome constructed by the famous architect Buckminster Fuller, & hence its name.

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So, the short answer of the question: 'What are allotropes of carbon?' is ..

`\Longrightarrow` Allotropes of carbon are the different forms of the element carbon which vary in physical properties. The difference lies in the way in which these atoms are bonded to each other. The allotropes of pure carbon are: graphite, diamond & fullerene.

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⟶ Refer to the attached image for the structurestructures of the different allotropes of carbon.

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Hope it helps!

Answer 2

Carbon has several allotropes, or different forms in which it can exist. These allotropes include graphite and diamond, which have very different properties. Despite carbon's ability to make 4 bonds and its presence in many compounds, it is highly unreactive under normal conditions.