Question

Write a short account of amorphous varieties of carbon and their uses.

Answer 1

The amorphous forms of carbon :

• These are the forms in which the atoms are not arranged together in a definite pattern.
• They do not have sharp edges when cut or broken.
• They have no definite melting point.

Examples of amorphous forms of carbon are Charcoal, coal, soot, gas carbon, and coke.

Charcoal :

1. It is black, soft, and porous solid.
2. When organic substances such as wood, bone, and sugar are heated strongly in the absence of air in a closed container, charcoal is formed.
3. Uses of charcoal :

• It is an important constituent of gunpowder.
• It is used in gas masks to absorb harmful gases.
• It is used in the sugar industry to decolorize sugar.
• It finds use as filters and sieves.

Coal :

1. It is a fossil fuel.
2. It is formed when the dead and decayed organic matter is buried in the earth for millions of years by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
3. Depending upon the amount of carbon content, there are four varieties of coal namely peat, lignite, Bituminous, and anthracite.
4. Uses of coal :

• It is used as a domestic and industrial fuel.
• It is used in the manufacture of synthetic petrol.
• Several fertilizers, drugs, and dyes are obtained from coal.

Soot (or lampblack) :

1. It is light, black powder and contains 92-98% carbon.
2. It is prepared by heating carbon-rich substances like turpentine oil and kerosene oil in a limited supply of air.
3. The black smoke that is collected in form of black powder over damp blankets kept inside the chamber is called soot or lampblack.
4. Uses :

• It is used in cosmetics.
• It is used in making shoe polish, printing ink, carbon paper, and black paint.

Gas carbon :

1. It is a grey solid.
2. It is prepared by the destructive distillation of coal or when petroleum products are heated at high temperatures in a closed container.
3. Carbon particles are deposited on the walls of the container, this is gas carbon.
4. Uses of gas carbon :

• It is used for making electrodes of dry cells.
• It is used for making carbon rods for arc lamps.

Coke

1. It is a tough, porous, and black-colored substance.
2. It is the purest form of carbon with high carbon content.
3. It is produced by heating bituminous coal to a very high temperature in the absence of air.
4. Uses :
5. It is used for manufacturing steel and extracting many metals.
6. It is also used to prepare gaseous fuels, such as producer gas ( nitrogen and carbon monoxide) and water-gas ( hydrogen and carbon monoxide)