Giant covalent structures

long chains of repeating units

strong covalent bonds

strong covalent bonds

• high melting and boiling points, lots of energy needed to break these • don’t contain charged particles, so they don’t conduct electricity, not even when molten, graphite is an exception

• made from carbon atoms in a very rigid giant covalent structure • made up of carbon atoms that each form 4 covalent bonds, making it very hard • these bonds need a lot of energy to break, making diamond have a very high melting point • doesn’t conduct electricity as it has no free electrons or ions

• each carbon atom only forms 3 covalent bonds, creating sheets of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons • no covalent bonds between the layers, held together weakly, so free to move over each other - making it soft and slippery • high melting point • ideally used for lubricants and pencils

• because only 3 of each carbons 4 outer electrons are used in bonds, so each carbon atom has one electron thats delocalized ( free ) and can move, so graphite conducts electricity and heat

• one layer of graphite • one sheet of carbon atoms joined together in hexagons, one atom thick, 2D substance • network of covalent bonds makes it very strong • very light, added to composite materials to add strength without adding much weight • can conduct electricity because of the same reason as graphite • can be used in electronics

• molecular formula c60 • molecules of carbon shaped like HOLLOW SPHERES • can be used to cage other molecules, could be used to deliver a drug into the body • huge surface area so can be used as a catalyst • fullerenes can form nanotubes- tiny carbon cylinders

lubricants