What are the three allotropes of carbon? Also explain their internal structures.

1 Answer
Jan 23, 2015

There are more than three allotropes of carbon. These include diamond, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and carbon nanobuds.

Diamond

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Each carbon atom in a diamond is covalently bonded to four other carbons in a three-dimensional array. A diamond is essentially one giant molecule.

Graphite

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In graphite, the carbon atoms are joined in sheets of linked hexagons that look like chicken wire. Each sheet is essentially a single molecule.

Within a sheet, each carbon atom forms strong covalent bonds to three other carbon atoms. The stacked sheets are held together only by weak intramolecular forces.

Graphene

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Graphene is pure carbon in the form of a single sheet of graphite that is just one atom thick.

Carbon Nanotubes

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A carbon nanotube is like a sheet of graphene rolled into a cylindrical tube of carbon atoms. Each atom bonded to three other atoms, and the tube is one atom thick.

Buckminsterfullerene, C₆₀

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Buckminsterfullerene consists of a single sheet of carbon atoms wrapped into a sphere. Each carbon atom is bonded to three other atoms. Sixty carbon atoms form the shape of a ball with a carbon atom at each corner of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons.

Many other balls of carbon are known, including C₇₀, C₇₆, C₈₄ and C₅₄₀. They contain various numbers of pentagons and hexagons and are known collectively as "buckyballs" or "fullerenes".

Carbon Nanobuds

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Carbon nanobuds are an allotrope of carbon in which fullerene-like "buds" are covalently attached to the outer sidewalls of carbon nanotubes.