C2.3.1 - Carbon

Question 1

What group in the Periodic Table is carbon in?

Answer 1

Group 4

IUPAC Group 14

Question 2

How many electrons does carbon have on its outer shell?

Answer 2

4

Question 3

How many covalent bonds can carbon form?

Answer 3

4

Question 4

Is carbon able to use its covalent bonds to combine to itself and other elements?

Answer 4

Yes

Question 5

Allotropes

Answer 5

A different form of an element in the same state but in a different arrangement

Question 6

Give 2 examples of an allotrope of carbon.

Answer 6

Diamond

Graphite

Question 7

Despite being both allotropes of carbon, explain why diamond and graphite are both very different?

Answer 7

Their structure and binding changes what the elements look like and feel like

Question 8

How is diamond bonded?

Answer 8

Diamond exists as a large covalent structure, as each carbon atom is covalently bonded to 4 others. Covalent bonds are strong, and diamond has very many of them. Diamond has no depolarised electrons, so it cannot generate electricity. All of the outer shells of its atoms have electrons, which means they can covalently bond.

Question 9

What can you determine about diamond after learning of its bonding?

Answer 9

You can tell diamond has got a high hardness, and a high boiling point, because it has a lot of covalent bonds which are very storing and hard.

Question 10

Describe the bonding of graphite.

Answer 10

Graphite exists as a large covalent structure, where each electron only covalently bonds to 3 other carbon atoms. The stray electron does not take part in the bonding, so it becomes delocalised, meaning graphite can allow electricity to flow even though it is not metal. The atoms in each layer form interlocking hexagons. The forces between each layer is weak, so layers can slide over each other easily, but there are many strong covalent bonds in the layers.

Question 11

What can you tell of graphite’s structure from its bonding?

Answer 11

It has a high melting point as it has a lot of strong covalent bonds, but as the forces between the layers are weak, the structure of graphite is slippery.

Question 12

What is graphene?

Answer 12

Graphene is a carbon allotrope that resembles a single layer of graphite

Question 13

Describe the structure of graphene.

Answer 13

It is almost transparent, extremely strong and can conduct electricity

Question 14

What are fullerenes?

Answer 14

A large family of carbon allotropes in which the are shaped like tubes or balls

Question 15

What is a nanotube?

Answer 15

A sheet of graphene rolled into a tube

Question 16

What is a buckyball?

Answer 16

A sheet of graphene closed to make a hollow ball, but the carbon atoms could be in pentagons instead of hexagons

Question 17

What can buckyballs do?

Answer 17

They have potential usage as lubricants, with the small the molecules acting as the small ball bearings. One day, it may be used to deliver medicine, as it can pass through cell membranes with its small size.

Question 18

Describe a nanotube.

Answer 18

Strong and can be used to reinforce some sport equipment