Diamonds are made of carbon atoms joined together by the strongest chemical bonds, called covalent bonds. The crystal structure of diamonds is a face-centered cubic lattice, allowing various crystal shapes.
A diamond’s crystal structure is a face-centered cubic or FCC lattice. In typical tetrahedrons (triangular prisms), each carbon atom connects four other carbon atoms.
In diamond, each carbon shares electrons with four other carbon atoms - forming four single bonds. In the diagram some carbon atoms only seem to be forming two bonds (or even one bond), but that's not really the case. We are only showing a small bit of the whole structure.
The rigid network of carbon atoms, held together by strong covalent bonds, makes diamond very hard. This makes it useful for cutting tools, such as diamond-tipped glass cutters and oil rig...
Diamond is composed of the single element carbon, and it is the arrangement of the C atoms in the lattice that give diamond its amazing properties. Compare the structure of diamond and graphite, both composed of just carbon.
Diamonds, scientifically categorized as a crystalline form of carbon, are renowned for being the hardest known natural material. This remarkable hardness stems from their unique atomic structure, where each carbon atom is covalently bonded to four others, forming a three-dimensional matrix.
Diamonds and graphite are both non-metals made exclusively of carbon atoms. The hardness and density of diamonds can be explained by their crystal structure. Each carbon atom is surrounded by four other carbon atoms in a regular tetrahedron.
Diamond’s crystal structure is isometric, which means the carbon atoms are bonded in essentially the same way in all directions. Another mineral, graphite, also contains only carbon, but its formation process and crystal structure are very different.
Structure of DiamondDiamond's carbon atoms are reported to form strong chemical interactions with the four other carbon atoms, forming a flawless tetrahedron structure that extends throughout the crystal. The carbon atoms are sp3 hybridised, and the carbon-carbon atom bond lengths are equivalent.
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Diamonds are made of carbon atoms joined together by the strongest chemical bonds, called covalent bonds. The crystal structure of diamonds is a face-centered cubic lattice, allowing various crystal shapes.