Before going into details try to define the following
1. What is an atom?
2. What is meant by element?
3. What is the difference between a compound and a mixture?
Answers:
1. Atom is the smallest particle that makes up matter
2. A substance that is made with only one type of atom
3. Compound is the product of combination of two or more types of atoms and mixture is a substance made with two or more chemically unchanged substances
Two allotropes of carbon can be found as graphite and diamond. Even if these are made with the same type of element their properties are different.
Diamond is hard graphite is soft
Diamond cannot conduct electricity but graphite can
These differences are due to their giant structure.
Diamond has four carbon atoms bonded to each carbon atom covalently making a hard giant atomic lattice.
In graphite each carbon atom if bonded with three more carbon atoms covalently making a layered structure. delocalized electron from each carbon atom floats between these layers making layer to slide over each other when a force is applied (lubricant property) and these free moving electrons can conduct electricity , making graphite a good electrical conductor.
11:28 PM
5070
allotropes
atom
compound
conductor
definition
diamond
element
GCSE Chemistry
graphite
lubricant
mixture
what is an atom
