Allotropes of Carbon

Carbon is the most important part of chemistry. With the capability of forming four covalent bonds at a time, carbon can form many other elements. Having a thorough understanding of carbon is necessary to learn chemistry precisely. Allotropy is the phenomenon used to describe the other corresponding elements or substances of the same state and different structural and chemical properties. In this article, we have covered the allotropy of carbon. The most common allotropes of carbon, Diamond and Graphite are also discussed below. All necessary information is curated in this allotropes of carbon study material from properties to various forms.

About Allotropes of carbon

The carbon present in any other structure than its natural structure can be said as an allotrope of carbon. In a nutshell, allotropes of carbon are those elements which are a replication of carbon but with different crystalline structures of atoms. Due to its novel properties and valence, the carbon makes covalent bonds with numerous elements and forms its allotrope. Before moving further, have a glance at the definition of allotropes.  

What are allotropes?

When one element exists in more than one or two forms with different characteristics and structures, it is called an allotrope of that element. For e.g., Graphite and diamond are the common allotropes of carbon. 

General properties of allotropes of carbon

As discussed earlier, there are numerous allotropes of carbon. Each allotrope possesses a novel set of properties. Hence, properties can’t be the same. However, there’s one common property: all elements have carbon as atom molecules. Apart from it, vast differences can be observed in the properties of carbon allotropes. For e.g., the thickness or lustre of diamond and Graphite. 

Types of Allotropes of carbon 

There are many carbon allotropes; even now, new allotropes are also being discovered. Presently, there are three most significant pure carbon allotropes, namely, Diamond, Graphite and fullerenes. However, other allotropes are also highly usable and fulfil the different needs of the industrial or commercial sector.  

Diamond

Diamond is the most common and purest carbon allotrope, and it is a lustrous and transparent crystal. This carbon allotrope is the hardest known element presently. The carbons are bonded in the allotrope in a tetrahedral structure, which gives the elements sharp discs in appearance. In turn, it is abundantly used in the cutting of tough elements with these sharp edges. Diamond’s melting and boiling points are too high due to the rapid, constant covalent bonds between carbon molecules. It is also used in gems and jewellery due to its lustrous characteristics.  

Graphite

Graphite being another allotrope of carbon, carries different properties from diamond. Graphite is a brittle and non-lustrous element that contains layers of carbon in its crystalline structure. In Graphite also, there are rapid carbon bonds; hence melting and boiling points are too high. The element melts at around 3600 °C and gets vaporised at approximately 4,830 °C. In Graphite, each carbon atom shares three covalent bonds with its layer. 

As carbon is capable of making four bonds at a time, one electron remains spare in Graphite enabling electricity conductivity. However, Graphite also further makes another form of carbon allotropes by altering layer thickness or crystalline structure. Graphene, Carbophene, Diamante are some of them.

Fullerenes, Nanotubes and Nano Buds

Fullerenes, often known as ‘Buckminster-fullerenes’ or ‘buckyballs’, are the carbon allotropes that are made by Nanomaterials of carbon. Fullerenes can be termed as a hollow cage-like sphere formed with carbon molecules. In fullerenes, carbons constantly share the bonds with nitrogen molecules. And fullerenes with different structures are also sub-classified based on element composition. Also, in all fullerenes, nitrogen molecules hold one-third mass of the composition. 

Nanotubes are the most significant sub-class of fullerene, A carbon allotrope structured as cylindrical hollow spheres. Similarly, Nano buds are another fullerene class that has the buds structure. Both of them are formed with enduring bonds of carbons and nitrogen elements within them. 

Other

Some allotropes are used mostly in industrial or medical sectors. Glassy carbons, atomic carbons, diatomic carbons, Nanofoam are also allotropes of carbon, to name a few. Also, all allotropes of carbon are categorised into two classes: Amorphous and crystalline. Amorphous carbons are the allotropes of carbon that do not have any crystalline structure. And conversely, crystalline allotropes are the ones with a crystalline structure.  

Conclusion

In the above article, we discussed allotropes of carbon in detail. We have learned that allotropes of carbon are the elements that exist in the same carbon state and contain carbon as their centred atom. Graphite, diamond and fullerenes are the three allotropes of pure carbon. Apart from these, nanotubes and Nano buds which are the sub-class of a carbon allotrope, fullerene is also described in this Allotropes of carbon study material.