Question

Explain the structure of a diamond

Answer 1

A diamond is a transparent crystal of tetrahedrally bonded carbon atoms in a covalent network lattice (sp3) that crystallizes into the diamond lattice which is a variation of the face centered cubic structure.

Each carbon atom is covalently bonded to four other carbon atoms. A lot of energy is needed to separate the atoms in diamond. This is because covalent bonds are strong, and diamond contains very many covalent bonds.

Answer 2

Within diamond, one s-orbital and three p-orbitals undergo a SP3 hybridization. The geometry of the hybridized orbital is tetrahedral. This is the reason why each carbon atom within diamond has four nearest neighbors.