Why is a diamond harder than graphite if they're made of the same substance?

Both diamond and graphite are made of carbon. Carbon can form a maximum of 4 covalent bonds due to carbon having 4 electrons on it's outer shell. In diamond, each carbon atom forms 4 covalent bonds in a tetrahedral structure. Whereas, in graphite the carbon atoms only form 3 covalent bonds, creating hexagonally packed sheets of carbon. The sheets of carbon become bonded by weaker intermolecular forces. It is because of these weak intermolecular forces that the layersof graphite can slide over eachother, making the overall substance a lot weaker than diamond.

CC
Answered by Chantelle C. Chemistry tutor

55454 Views

See similar Chemistry GCSE tutors

Related Chemistry GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Why can samples of an element have same atomic number but different atomic masses?


Give two reasons why cryolite is used in the electrolysis of aluminium oxide.


A compound is found to contain 3.1% Hydrogen, 65.3% Oxygen and 31.6% Phosphorus. Work out its empirical formula.


A) Write a balanced equation for the reaction of Calcium metal with water B) If I react 3 g of Calcium metal, what number of moles do I have?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences