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The Chemistry and Applications of Carbon Allotropes in Industry
Introduction
Carbon has the ability to create many allotropes because of its valence. This means that carbon has a high rate of combining power with other different atoms when it is in the process of forming chemical compounds or molecules. The most common allotropes are Diamond and Graphite. The different allotropes of carbon tend to shows different properties and have a different application in different fields. Diamond is a common allotrope of carbon that exhibits hardness and has a high ability to disperse light. Diamond is the hardest discovered mineral and industries find it useful in cutting and drilling of other elements. It is also used to manufacture jewelry. Graphite is another common allotrope of carbon. Graphite is formed in a single layer by graphene that consists of carbon atoms and it is arranged in a single plane. Graphite is a good electric conductor. Graphite is known as the most stable form of carbon under the rating of standard conditions. This paper will describe the chemical and physical compounds and their industrial application in different fields.
Discussion
Allotropy refers to a property of a particular chemical element that exists in more than one different form when it is found in nature. There are different forms of carbon that exists and this paper will discuss the common allotropes and their application in different fields. The first allotrope of carbon is a diamond.
The diagram above shows the comparison between diamond and graphite.
Diamond
The chemical structure of this allotrope of carbon is arranged in a lattice, which tends to resemble cubic crystal structure. Diamond has superlative physical properties, most probably originating from the strong covalent bonding that exists between the atoms (Diudea 73). The chemical properties of diamond comprise of each carbon atoms in the diamond to be covalently bonded to other four carbons in a tetrahedron. The tetrahedron forms a three-dimensional network that comprise six-member carbon rings, which results in zero bond angle strain. The stable network of the covalent bonds with the addition of the hexagonal rings is the reason diamond a strong substance hence ideal for its industrial application. Diamond is the hardest mineral formed from the combination of carbon atoms (Billups 91). This feature makes it an excellent material for the manufacture of abrasives. This will make the mineral hold polish and other luster chemicals good. Currently, there is no natural substance, which can cut or even scratch diamond.

The diagram above shows the chemical structure of diamond The most common industrial application of diamond is cutting, grinding, drilling, jewelry, and polishing. The colorless and clear properties of diamond have made the mineral to be used in the manufacture of jewelry. This physical property has enabled jewelry industries to manufacture expensive jewelry items (Zygmunt et al. 88). When professional experts cut this mineral, it provides a sparkle and reflects light. Another chemical and physical property of diamond that has provided its usefulness in industrial application are the hardness and the high melting point. This property has made diamond to be used to cut different materials. An example of this is the diamond-tipped discs that are used to cut bricks and concrete. Oil manufacturing companies used heavy-duty drill bits to drill through rocks. All of these drill materials use the diamond to manufacture the tools that drill or cut hard surfaces. Diamond is a poor conductor of electricity (Ramsden 119). This is because of the chemical structure of the mineral. Diamond has no free electron or ions responsible for conducting electricity.
Disadvantage of Diamond in Industrial Application Despite the advantages that the carbon diamond has in industrial application, diamond has some limitation in the industrial use. The disadvantages include the ability to process the mineral to serve the industrial purpose. The chemical and physical structure of diamond makes it hard to process the mineral. Diamond requires high temperatures with high pressures to be processed (Pierson 138). This is because of the hardness and chemical structure of inertness. The chemical and physical structure of the natural diamond has proven to be expensive during processing.
Graphite
Graphite can conduct electricity. The chemical structure of graphite has free electrons and ions that give it the ability to be a conductor of electricity. This capability to conduct electricity is because of the pi bond electrons that are delocalized both below and above the planes of the carbon atoms (Putz 151). The electron in graphite is able and free to move thus the ability to conduct electricity, unlike diamond that has fixed electrons and diamond that provides it with poor ability to conduct electricity. It is important to note that the capability of graphite to conduct electricity is only conducted on the plane of the carbon layers. Graphite is known to be the most stable form of carbon under the rating of standard conditions. Each of the carbon atoms in graphite uses only three of the outer energy to conduct electricity. Graphite has covalently bonding. Each of the carbon atoms in graphite tends to contribute one electron to the electrons that are delocalized (Velasquez 113). These are also part of the chemical bonding of graphite.
Graphite has three natural types and they include: 1. Crystalline graphite: This has hexagonal edges. 2. Amorphous graphite: The structural component of this involves fine particles. 3. Lump graphite: This occurs in fractures.

The diagram above shows the chemical and physical structure of graphite The chemical structure of graphite includes the layered and planar structure. It is important to note that each of the layers comprise of carbon atoms, which tend to be arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The forms of graphite alpha and beta have physical properties that are similar. The hexagonal graphite in the structural formation may be either flat or distorted (Kruger 124). The alpha form can be changed into beta form through the mechanical procedure. On the other hand, the beat form can be reversed to alpha through heating that should be above 1300 °C. Graphite has a property that supports lubrication. It has both self-lubricating and dry lubricating features. The industrial application of graphite is vast. One of the industrial applications is in the prosthetic blood-containing materials because of its ability to resist heat (Demarchi et al. 97). Graphite is proved to resist heat or temperatures up to 3000 °C.

Another industrial application of graphite is used to manufacture materials that conduct electricity. In this industrial application, the chemical and physical features that make it possible to conduct electricity involve the ability to have free electrons and ions that can move freely. A single layer in the graphite structure is called graphene. This material has been proven to have electrical and physical properties (Wong 112). This material also has thermal properties that make it useful in areas of temperature control. Its ability to be insoluble in water has made it be used in pencils. Graphite easily leaves a black mark on paper because of its slippery nature. The ability to be insoluble in water has made graphite to be used as a component of different lubricants. For instance, bicycle chain uses lubricants manufactured from graphite. This is because of its slippery nature. Graphite powder is employed as a dry lubricant (Diudea 73). The loose interlamellar coupling in the graphite structure is thought to be behind the industrial use of lubrication.

The diagram above shows the structural bonds that exist in graphite mineral Graphite is also used to reduce corrosion of metals. Graphite is an ideal mineral that is used for welding and coating metals. Graphite is used to hold molten metals. Since it conducts electricity efficiently, Graphite is used to manufacture batteries (Wong 112). The natural and synthetic graphite are employed to manufacture the anode of all current battery technology. For instance, the lithium-ion battery tends to use double the amount of graphite than the lithium carbonate. Graphite is also employed in the industrial manufacture of steel. Graphite is used in the application of X-rays anodes for graphite discs (Zygmunt et al. 88). Graphite is also used to manufacture foils used as hot tops. Graphite in this application is used to insulate the molten metal thus reducing the heat loss.
Disadvantage of Graphite in Industrial Application Graphite has some shortcomings that arise from its chemical and physical structure. The uses of graphite to manufacture free powders have some limitations. This is because the adhesions contained in the solid particles are often insufficient to provide continuous application of the lubrication purpose (Diudea 183).
Fullerenes
This is another allotrope of carbon. Fullerenes are made of different shapes resembling balls and cylindrical balls. The fullerenes that resemble soccer balls are known as buckyballs while the cylindrical are called carbon nanotubes (Kruger 124). This mineral is similar in structure to graphite. It is has stacked graphene set up in hexagonal rings. The difference is that fullerenes molecular structure has additional pentagonal rings. The Buckminster fullerene molecules contain 60 carbon atoms that are arranged in hollow kind of sphere (Billups 91). The industrial applications of this mineral are vast.

The diagram above shows the chemical structure of fullerene. Nanotubes are used to strengthen graphite in the tennis rackets because of their strong molecular structure. The nanotubes are also used to manufacture electrical materials because they have the ability to conduct electricity (Billups 91). The structural feature of nanotubes allows it to be applied to a container for transporting the drug. A molecule of any drug can be placed in the nanotube cage, where the drug is wrapped until it reaches the destination. Through this technology, a dose that tend to be damaging to other parts of the body is transported this way until it is safely delivered to cure tumor in the body (Zygmunt et al. 88). Fullerenes have high boiling and melting points.
Limitations of Fullerenes in Industrial Application

Despite the advantages that the fullerenes poses, the mineral have some disadvantages in the industrial application. The introduction of nanotechnology has facilitated the accessibility of atomic bombs. The nanotechnology has been able to provide information of how to manufacture atomic bombs (Putz 151). The ability of some elements of fullerenes to absorb water tends to derail the production of cancer imaging and therapy.
Conclusion
Diamond is carbon allotrope that is used for several industrial uses. One of the industrial applications of this substance is the manufacture of tools that are used for cutting and drilling hard surfaces. The chemical and physical property that enables the mineral to be used in this area is its strong covalent bonds. This makes it the hardest mineral known. Graphite is another carbon allotrope that is used to manufacture lubricants. The chemical and physical property that enables it to be used in this field is the layered and planer structure. The free electron and ions enable it to be used to manufacture electrical appliances. Fullerenes also are a carbon allotrope that is used for nanotechnology. The nanotubes are used to strengthen graphite in the tennis rackets.

Work Cited
Billups, WE. Buckminsterfullerenes. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1993. Print.
Demarchi, Danilo, and Alberto Tagliaferro. Carbon for Sensing Devices. , 2014. Internet resource.
Diudea, Mircea V. Nanostructures: Novel Architecture. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2005. Print.
Kruger, Anke. Carbon Materials and Nanotechnology. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, 2010. Internet resource.
Pierson, Hugh O. Handbook of Carbon, Graphite, Diamond, and Fullerenes: Properties, Processing, and Applications. Park Ridge, N.J: Noyes Publications, 1993. Internet resource.
Putz, Mihai V. Carbon Bonding and Structures: Advances in Physics and Chemistry. Dordrecht: Springer, 2011. Internet resource.
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Velasquez, Steven. The Electronic Structure of Carbon and Its Allotropes As Determined by Soft X-Ray Emission Spectroscopy. , 1993. Print.
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Zygmunt, Gburski, Dawid Aleksander, Górny Krzysztof, and Raczyński Przemysław. Impact of the Carbon Allotropes on Cholesterol Domain: Md Simulation. INTECH Open Access Publisher, 2011. Print.