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Diamond is clear and transparent, but graphite is black and opaque. Diamond is the hardest mineral known (10 on the Mohs scale), but graphite is one of the softest (1–2 on Mohs scale). Diamond is the ultimate abrasive, but graphite is soft and is a very good lubricant. Diamond is an excellent electrical insulator, but graphite is an excellent ...
Diamond and graphite are two allotropes of carbon: pure forms of the same element that differ in crystalline structure.. Allotropy or allotropism (from Ancient Greek ἄλλος (allos) 'other' and τρόπος (tropos) 'manner, form') 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.
As well, allotropy of elements and polymorphism have been linked historically. However, allotropes of an element are not always polymorphs. A common example is the allotropes of carbon, which include graphite, diamond, and londsdaleite. While all three forms are allotropes, graphite is not a polymorph of diamond and londsdaleite.
For pure chemical elements, polymorphism is known as allotropy. For example, diamond and graphite are two crystalline forms of carbon, while amorphous carbon is a noncrystalline form. Polymorphs, despite having the same atoms, may have very different properties.
Diamonds are carbon crystals that form under high temperatures and extreme pressures such as deep within the Earth. At surface air pressure (one atmosphere), diamonds are not as stable as graphite, and so the decay of diamond is thermodynamically favorable (δH = −2 kJ/mol). [22]
The known inorganic chemistry of the allotropes of carbon (diamond, graphite, and the fullerenes) blossomed with the discovery of buckminsterfullerene in 1985, as additional fullerenes and their various derivatives were discovered.
Enjoy a classic game of Hearts and watch out for the Queen of Spades!
Diamond and graphite materials and structure. Diamond is an allotrope of carbon where the atoms are arranged in a modified version of face-centered cubic (fcc) structure known as "diamond cubic". It is known for its hardness (see table above) and incompressibility and is targeted for some potential optical and electrical applications.