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Which form of carbon is most likely to be used in pencil lead given its characteristics?Cylindrical fullerenesGraphiteSpherical fullerenesDiamondFeedback?

Question

Which form of carbon is most likely to be used in pencil lead given its characteristics?

  • Cylindrical fullerenes
  • Graphite
  • Spherical fullerenes
  • Diamond

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Solution

The form of carbon most likely to be used in pencil lead is Graphite.

Here's why:

  1. Graphite is one of the three naturally occurring allotropes of carbon, the others being diamond and amorphous carbon.

  2. Graphite has a layered, planar structure. In each layer, the carbon atoms are arranged in a hexagonal lattice with separation of 0.142 nm, and the distance between planes (layers) is 0.335 nm.

  3. The layers are stacked together via weak van der Waals forces, allowing them to slide against each other easily, making graphite a good lubricant and, importantly for your question, good for pencil lead.

  4. When you write with a pencil, the graphite layers slide off onto the paper.

  5. Diamond, on the other hand, has a tetrahedral structure which makes it the hardest natural substance, so it's not suitable for pencil lead.

  6. Fullerenes, whether cylindrical or spherical, are not used in pencil lead because they are not as readily available or as easy to produce as graphite.

So, given its characteristics, graphite is the form of carbon most likely to be used in pencil lead.

This problem has been solved

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