Carbon chemistry

Allotrope — অ্যালোট্রোপ

Quick answer

Different structural forms of one element — diamond, graphite and fullerene for carbon; O2\mathrm{O_{2}} and O3\mathrm{O_{3}} for oxygen.

Definition

Allotropes are different forms of the same element, in which the atoms bond together in different arrangements, giving strikingly different properties. Carbon is the star: diamond has each atom bonded to four others in a rigid 3-D network, the hardest natural material; graphite stacks slippery sheets that conduct electricity; fullerenes form hollow balls. Oxygen also has allotropes: the O2\mathrm{O_{2}} we breathe and ozone, O3\mathrm{O_{3}}, which shields us from ultraviolet light.

For example

Your pencil's graphite core and a diamond ring are both pure carbon, yet one slides on paper for a few taka and the other scratches glass for a fortune.

Elements this touches

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