Why is a diamond harder than graphite if they're made of the same substance?

Both diamond and graphite are made of carbon. Carbon can form a maximum of 4 covalent bonds due to carbon having 4 electrons on it's outer shell. In diamond, each carbon atom forms 4 covalent bonds in a tetrahedral structure. Whereas, in graphite the carbon atoms only form 3 covalent bonds, creating hexagonally packed sheets of carbon. The sheets of carbon become bonded by weaker intermolecular forces. It is because of these weak intermolecular forces that the layersof graphite can slide over eachother, making the overall substance a lot weaker than diamond.

CC
Answered by Chantelle C. Chemistry tutor

56378 Views

See similar Chemistry GCSE tutors

Related Chemistry GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is fractional distillation and how does it work.


Can you please explain the effect of increasing temperature on the rate of reaction


How would you expect calcium carbonate to react with hydrochloric acid?


How should I approach answering moles calculation questions?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning