Question

Why graphite is a good conductor of electricity?

Answer 1

Allotropes:

• There are different allotropes of carbon.
• For example: graphite and diamond.

Tetravalency of carbon:

• The carbon atom contains four electrons in its outermost shell that it can share to produce a stable electronic configuration, giving it a valency of four, indicating that it is tetravalent.
• When one looks at the structural arrangement of graphite, one carbon atom is covalently bound to three other carbon atoms.
• Because the fourth electron of each carbon atom is unbound, graphite conducts electricity.
• As a result of the existence of free electrons in the structure, we may deduce that graphite is an excellent conductor of electricity.