MCQ Detailed View

Carbon exists in several forms with different physical structures but the same chemical composition. These different forms are called allotropes. The most common allotropes of carbon are diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon. Diamond has a tetrahedral structure where each carbon atom is covalently bonded to four other carbon atoms, making it extremely hard and transparent.

Graphite has a layered structure with each carbon atom bonded to three others in a plane, forming hexagonal sheets. These sheets are held together by weak van der Waals forces, making graphite soft, slippery, and a good conductor of electricity. Amorphous carbon includes charcoal and soot, where the structure is irregular without long-range order.

Allotropes differ in physical properties such as hardness, conductivity, melting point, and appearance, but they have the same chemical formula, C. This contrasts with isomers, which are compounds with the same molecular formula but different chemical connectivity, or isotopes, which have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. Isomorphs refer to compounds with similar crystal structures.

Understanding allotropy is important in inorganic chemistry because the properties of elements can vary widely depending on their structural form. Diamond is used in cutting tools, jewelry, and high-pressure applications, while graphite is used in lubricants, pencils, and as electrodes in batteries and electrochemical processes.

Carbon allotropes illustrate the concept that the arrangement of atoms affects material properties. Diamond, graphite, and other forms of carbon demonstrate how one element can exist in multiple physical forms while maintaining identical chemical composition.

Carbon, diamond, and graphite are therefore collectively called allotropes, highlighting the significance of atomic arrangement in determining material properties.