Year 10 - Science
Graphene and fullerenes
Chemistry of carbon
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores how material properties relate to bonding, bond strength, and structure, focusing on carbon compounds like diamond, graphite, and graphene. It covers nanoparticles, their uses and risks, surface area calculations, scale comparisons, and model representation techniques.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe the properties of graphene and fullerenes, relating them back to their structures.
Key Notes
- Graphene is a single layer of graphite, is very strong and conducts electricity.
- Fullerenes are molecules of carbon with hollow shapes.
- The structure of fullerenes is based on hexagonal rings of carbon atoms, or on carbon rings of five or seven atoms.
- A Buckminsterfullerene is a spherical fullerene of sixty carbon atoms (C₆₀).
- A carbon nanotube is a tube of graphene that is very long compared to its diameter and has a high tensile strength.
Vocabulary To Learn
- allotrope: A different structural form of an element, e.g. graphite and diamond are allotropes of carbon.
- graphene: An allotrope of carbon consisting of a sheet that is one-atom-thick. Each atom is covalently bonded to three others arranged in hexagonal rings.
- fullerene: A molecular allotrope of carbon. Each atom is covalently bonded to three others, forming nanoparticles with hollow spheres or tubes.
- Buckminsterfullerene: A spherical fullerene composed of 60 carbon atoms (held together by covalent bonds). It is a very stable structure.
- nanotube: A cylindrical fullerene, essentially a tube of graphene. A nanoparticle known for its strength and electrical conductivity.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students may think all carbon allotropes have giant covalent structures due to strong covalent bonds.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Graphene is a single layer of graphite, is very strong and conducts electricity. Fullerenes are molecules of carbon with hollow shapes.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'allotrope'
A different structural form of an element, e.g. graphite and diamond are allotropes of carbon. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students may think all carbon allotropes have giant covalent structures due to strong covalent bonds. Correction: Emphasise that fullerenes and nanotubes, unlike graphene and diamond, have discrete molecular structures.
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