The crystalline forms of carbon are diamond, graphite and ________.
There are three crystalline forms of carbon:
Different forms, or allotropes, of carbon are diamond, graphite, and fullerenes. In diamond, each carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms, forming a rigid structure that makes diamond very hard. In graphite, each carbon atom is bonded to three other carbon atoms, and the atoms forms layers that are only weakly bonded together. This makes graphite soft and slippery. In a fullerene, carbon atoms are bonded to three other atoms in a soccer ball pattern. The bonds are weak, so fullerenes can dissolve and form solutions.