Covalent Structures Flashcards
Give some examples of giant covalent structures of atoms?
Diamond and graphite
Silicon oxide
What can atoms that share electrons form?
Giant covalent structures
What do these strong covalent structures have?
Very high melting points
What happens in diamond?
Each carbon atom forms four covalent bonds with other carbon atoms in a giant covalent structure
What is a property of diamond
It is very hard
What happens in graphite?
Each cabin atom bonds to three others, forming layers
What do the layers do in graphite
They layers are free to slide over eachother because there are no covalent bonds between them
Name some properties of graphite
Soft and slippery
In graphite, one electron from each carbon atom is….
Delocalised
What do these delocalised electrons allow graphite to do?
Conduct heat and electricity
What can carbon also form
Fullerenes with different number of carbon atoms
What can fullerenes be used for?
Drug delivery into the body,
In lubricants
As catalysts
