Carbon and its allotropes

Introduction

Introduction
Carbon, the 6th element in the periodic table is denoted by letter ‘C.’ Carbon is found
almost everywhere, and it is one of the most abundant materials on earth. It is the 4th most
common element in the universe and 15th most common on earth’s crust. The name carbon
comes from a Latin word “carbo,” which means coal and charcoal; hence, it is also derived
from the French word “charbon” which means charcoal.

All the organic life on earth is made up of allotropes of carbon. All living organisms are
composed of carbon, including human beings, animals, plants etc. In the human body, carbon is
the second most abundant element by mass after oxygen. The different allotropic types of
carbon can be extensively characterized into two classes, namely: Crystalline
form and Amorphous form.

Carbon has basically 8 allotropes namely, 1) diamond, 2) graphite, 3) lonsdaliete,4) C60

(buckminister fullerene or bucky ball), 5) C540, 6) C70, 7) amorphous carbon, and 8) carbon
nanotubes (CNTs; buckytube)

Carbon has been the subject of intense interest from researchers for decades.

Carbon allotropes are used widely. The pencil which we use has lead made of graphite. Also
graphite is also used as electrodes in various electrochemical cells because it’s a good
conductor. Diamond is widely used in jewellery.
Definition:

Allotropy or allotropism is the property of some chemical elements to exist in two or more
different forms, in the same physical state, known as allotropes of the elements. Allotropes are
different structural modifications of an element; the atoms of the element are bonded together
in a different manner

Diamond

Diamond is a well known allotrope of carbon. The hardness and high dispersion of light of
diamond make it useful for both industrial applications and jewelry. Diamond is the hardest
known natural mineral. This makes it an excellent abrasive and makes it hold polish and luster
extremely well. No known naturally occurring substance can cut (or even scratch) a diamond,
except another diamond.

Diamonds exist as transparent octahedral precious stones mostly having bended surfaces and
don't sparkle much in their characteristic natural frame. To give them their standard splendid
sparkle they are cut at an appropriate point in order to offer ascent to huge total internal
reflections.

Each carbon atom in a diamond is covalently bonded to four other carbons in a tetrahedron.
These tetrahedrons together form a 3-dimensional network of six-membered carbon rings
(similar to cyclohexane), in the chair conformation, allowing for zero bond angle strain. This
stable network of covalent bonds and hexagonal rings is the reason that diamond is so strong.

Diamonds are mainly found in the Union of South Africa, Brazil, the Belgian Congo, Brazil, India,
British Guiana, and so forth.

Diamond was found without precedent for India. The well known 'Kohinoor precious stone' (186
- carat) and the 'Regent or Pitt' (studded in Napoleon's state sword, 136.2 carat) were found
close Kishna waterway in South India.

Moissan (1893) developed the first artificial diamond by warming pure sugar charcoal and iron
in a graphite pot to a temperature of around 3000°C in an electric circular segment furnace

Graphite

Graphite, named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789, is one of the most common allotropes of
carbon. Unlike diamond, graphite is an electrical conductor. Thus, it can be used in, for instance,
electrical arc lamp electrodes. Likewise, under standard conditions, graphite is the most stable
form of carbon..
In graphite, the carbon molecules are displayed in level parallel layers as consistent hexagons.
Every layer is bonded to contiguous layers by weak Vander Waals strengths. This permits every
layer to slide over the other effectively. Because of this sort of structure graphite is delicate and
slippery, and can go about as a lubricant. Graphite is additionally a good conductor of
electricity. In graphite, carbon iotas in every layer are bonded to three other carbon molecules
by unique covalent bonds. This gives some double bond character to the C-C bonds. This gives it
the nearness of delocalized p-electron framework. These versatile electrons lead to the
electrical conductivity of graphite.
Uses of Graphite
 As a lubricant at higher temperatures.
 As a refractory material of making cauldrons and terminals for high-temperature work.
 In electrotyping and in the fabrication of gramophone records: Graphite is utilized for
making the non- conductor (for the most part wax) surface, so that electroplating becomes
possible.
 For producing lead pencils and stove paints.

Amorphous Forms of Carbon

Coal
Coal is shaped in nature by the carbonization of wood. Change of wood to coal affected by high
pressure, high temperature and without air is named carbonization.

Among coal assortments, anthracite is the purest frame. It consists of about 94-95% of carbon.
The basic assortment is bituminous coal; it is dark, hard and ignites with smoky fire.
Uses
Coal is essentially utilized,
 As a mechanical fuel in steel, power generating plants and so on. It is additionally a
domestic fuel to a restricted degree.
 For the manufacture of water gas and producer gas, which are utilized as fuel gases.
 For fabricating coke, coal tar and coal gas.
 Anthracite coal is utilized for producing graphite.
 For the fabrication of manufactured petrol by catalytic hydrogenation of coal.
For fabricating coke, coal tar and coal gas.
 Anthracite coal is utilized for producing graphite.
 For the fabrication of manufactured petrol by catalytic hydrogenation of coal.

Conclusion

This project briefly introduced the different allotropes of carbon , its structure and its uses.
Carbon-allotropes are the new face of technology. In recent decades many more allotropes
and forms of carbon have been discovered and researched including ball shapes such as
buckminsterfullerene and sheets such as graphene.