Is a diamond an insulator?
Diamond normally has a very wide bandgap of 5.6 electron volts, meaning that it is a strong electrical insulator that electrons do not move through readily.
Is a Diamond electrical conductor?
Variable electrical conductivity – diamond does not conduct electricity, whereas graphite contains free electrons so it does conduct electricity. Silicon is a semi-conductor – it is midway between non-conductive and conductive.
Why is diamond a good insulator?
These arise because each carbon atom is only bonded to 3 other carbon atoms. However, in diamond, all 4 outer electrons on each carbon atom are used in covalent bonding, so there are no delocalised electrons and thus it is an insulator.
Why Diamond is hard and an electrical insulator?
Diamond each carbon is sp3 hybridized. Each carbon is surrounded by four other carbon atoms. This is because of this arrangment that diamond is very hard. Further there is no free electron in the carbon tetrahedra so that diamond do not conduct electricity.
Why Diamond is hard and graphite is soft?
Diamond is harder than graphite because each of its carbon atoms form four covalent bonds in a tetrahedral structure and also due to the presence of strong covalent bonds in it. Therefore, diamond is hard but graphite is soft and slippery even though both have carbon present in them.
Why is graphite is soft and slippery?
The delocalised electrons are free to move through the structure, so graphite can conduct electricity. The layers in graphite can slide over each other because the forces between them are weak. This makes graphite slippery, so it is useful as a lubricant .
Why is graphite a good conductor of electricity and diamond is not?
Graphite can conduct electricity because of the delocalised (free) electrons in its structure. These arise because each carbon atom is only bonded to 3 other carbon atoms. However, in diamond, all 4 outer electrons on each carbon atom are used in covalent bonding, so there are no delocalised electrons.
Why are diamonds more expensive than graphite?
Also, as a result of the rarity, a Diamond is far more expensive than Graphite. In Diamonds, the atoms are carefully packed with together with each atom connected to various other carbon atoms as compared to Graphite where the bonds in between the layers are weak.
Is graphite more valuable than a diamond?
Diamond is an electrical insulator while graphite is a good conductor of electricity. Diamond is usually transparent, but graphite is opaque. Diamond is obviously far more valuable than graphite. The carbon atoms in diamond, on the other hand, have strong bonds in three dimensions.
Why is graphite slippery?
Graphite has delocalised electrons, just like metals. The forces between the layers in graphite are weak. This means that the layers can slide over each other. This makes graphite slippery, so it is useful as a lubricant .