Hi Avid readers of this Chemistry website,
Good to see you visiting this website and wanting to learn more about chemistry. I have been less active here for the last 2 weeks as i was busy with the GCE ‘O’ Level Intensive Chemistry Bootcamp program for a special group of students in Singapore. If you are one of the students in the Bootcamp, Give yourself a HIGH-FIVE!!! for being so committed to learn more about Chemistry Phenomenons, Tips and Strategies.
Today is the 2nd day of the Chemistry Intensive Bootcamp and i am enjoying it more and more. These special group of students which have committed 5 days of their holiday to spend time with us, in order?to learn more and improve their grades in Chemistry. They have been?AWESOME! I congratulate their attitude and energy in making the bootcamp so interesting and fun!
Yesterday, i was going through the Chapter on BONDING in the Bootcamp, and lots and lots and lots of examples?were?shared and?many analogies were given.?One of those we?mentioned is DIAMOND,?a giant macromolecule. We all know?diamond, a part of woman’s?life some say.
(Image by theappraiserlady)
Diamond?is one of the hardest material on earth. It is not easily stretched, bent or worn out. Diamond exists as a solid in nature and has high Boiling Point and Melting Point. Melting point of diamond is in fact 3500 degrees Celsius. Diamond does not conduct electricity and is insoluble in water (of course not soluble, imagine your few thousands dollars diamond dissolve in water and you get nothing!!??)
Diamond has the above physical properties because of its chemical structure. It has all the typical properties of a Giant Covalent Molecule. A crystal of diamond contains millions of Carbon (C) atoms joined together by strong covalent bonds. Each carbon atom is bonded tetrahedrally to 4 other Carbon atoms. A lot of energy is required to break these strong covalent bonds, and this explains why diamond is so hard and difficult to melt. All the valence electrons in C atoms are used for bonding in diamond, and no free electrons to move around. Thus, diamond cannot conduct electricity.
(Image by zeroion)
Besides uses in Gemstones in Jewellery (Diamond Ring, Pendant, Necklace, etc), diamonds are also used at the Tips of drills and other cutting tools. They are used for drilling, grinding and polishing hard surfaces.
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