Question

Graphite is a good conductor of heat and electricity because it contains

Answer 1

Conduction of heat and electricity:

• Graphite is the crystalline allotropes of carbon and it has a layered structure.
• Conduction of heat and electricity in a substance occurs due to the presence of free electrons in that material.
• The layers of graphite are held together by the weak van der wall’s force of attraction and each layer is composed of planar hexagonal rings of carbon each carbon atom makes three sigma bonds with three neighbouring carbon atoms.

• Only three or four valence electrons of each carbon atom are involved in bonding, so, each carbon atom makes use of ${\mathrm{sp}}^2$ hybrid orbitals,
• Thus the fourth valence electron of each carbon atom remains unpaired.
• This free electron is responsible for the conduction of heat and electricity.

Therefore, graphite is a good conductor of heat and electricity because it contains free electrons which can conduct heat and electricity.