C3.7 Giant Covalent structures

?

What are giant covalent structures?

Diamonds are the hardest know natural substance. Artificial diamonds can be made by heating pure carbon to a very high temperature in very high pressures.Industrial diamonds made like this are embedded in the drill used by oil companies. They have to drill through layers of rock to get to the crude oil deep underground. 

Many covalently bonded substances are made up of individual molecules. However, some substances such s diamonds, from very different structures. These do not have relatively small numbers of atoms arranged in simple molecules. They form huge networks of atoms held together by strong covalent bonds in giant covalent structures.

1 of 2

Bonding In Graphite

Carbon is not always found as diamonds. Another form is graphite, the form of carbon used in pencil lead. They form in hexagons, which are arranged in giant layers.There are no covalent bonds in the layers only weak intermolecular forces, therefore, the layers can slide over one another.

Carbon atoms form have four electrons in their outer shell available for bonding, this leaves spare one on each carbon atom in graphite.

These mobile (free) electrons can move freely along the layers of carbon atoms. These are called delocalised electrons.

Thses delocalised allow graphite to conduct electricity. The electrons will drift away from the negative terminal of battery and towards its positive terminal when it is put into a electrical circuit. 

Graphite is also a great conductor of electricity. As more energy is transferred to the delocalised electrons, they move around faster and rapidly transfer energy along the layers in graphite. 

2 of 2

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Chemistry resources:

See all Chemistry resources »See all Atoms and compounds resources »