Allotropes Of Carbon

Front 1

Describe the structure of diamond

Back 1

Each carbon atom forms four covalent bonds with other carbon atoms. This forms a very rigid structure which is why diamond is so hard.

Hint 1

Front 2

Why does diamond have a high melting point?

Back 2

Diamond has a high melting point because the strong covalent bonds take a lot of energy to overcome. It doesn't conduct electricity because it has no free electrons or ions

Front 3

Describe the structure of graphite

Back 3

Each carbon atom only forms 3 covalent bonds. This creates sheets of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons. There aren't any covalent bonds between the layers- they are held together by weak intermolecular forces, so they are free to move over each other.

Hint 3

Front 4

Properties of graphite

Back 4

Soft and slippery, so its ideal as a lubricating material

Front 5

Why does grpahite have a high melting point?

Back 5

Graphite has a high melting point because the covalent bonds in the layers need a lot of energy to break.

Front 6

Why does graphite conduct electricity?

Back 6

Only 3 out of carbon's 4 outer electrons are used in bonds, so each carbon atom has one electron that's delocalised and can move. This means that graphite conducts electricity and thermal energy.

Front 7

Describe the structure of graphene

Back 7

Graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms joined together in hexagons. It's basically a single layer of graphite. This sheet is just one atom thick, making it a two-dimensional compound. The network of covalent bonds makes graphene very strong. Its also incredibly light, so can be added to composite materials to improve their strength without adding much weight.

Hint 7

Front 8

Does graphene conduct electricity?

Back 8

Like graphite, graphene contains delocalised electrons so can conduct electricty through the whole structure. This means it has the potential to be used in electronics.

Front 9

Describe the structure of fullerenes

Back 9

Fullerenes are hollow molecules of carbon, shaped like tubes or balls. They're mainly made up of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons, but can also contain pentagons (rings of 5 carbon atoms) or heptagons (rings of seven carbon atoms)

Front 10

Facts about Buckministerfullerene

Back 10

It was the the first fullerene to be discovered

It forms a hollow sphere containing 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons

Front 11

Facts about Nanotubes

Back 11

Fullerenes which are tiny carbon cylinders. The ratio between the length and the diameter of nanotubes is very high. They are good conductors of heat and electricity

Front 12

Uses of fullerenes in medicine

Back 12

Fullerenes can be used to 'cage' other molecules. The fullerene structure forms around another atom or molecule, which is then trapped inside. This could be used to deliver a drug to where it's needed in the body in a highly controlled way.

Front 13

Uses of fullerenes as catalysts

Back 13

Fullerenes have a huge surface area, so they could help make great industrial catalysts-individual catalyst molecules could be attached to the fullerenes (the bigger the surface area the better)

Front 14

Uses of fullerenes as lubricants

Back 14

Coating moving machine parts in fullerenes dramatically reduces friction. They could one day also be used to reduce friction in artificial joints

Front 15

Uses of fullerenes when strengthening materials

Back 15

Nanotubes have a high tensile strength (they don't break when stretched) so can be used to strengthen materials without adding much weight, such as in tennis racket frames.

Front 16

Uses of fulllerenes in electronics

Back 16

Nanotubes can conduct electricity, and they're very small, so they can be used in very small electrical circuits, e.g. in the microchips found in computers and phones

Front 17

Define Boiling point

Back 17

The point at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas or vice versa

Front 18

What is an intermolecular force?

Back 18

A force of attraction that exists between molecules

Front 19

Define melting point

Back 19

The temperature of which a substance changes from a solid to a liquid