Graphite
Graphite consists of a layered structure, made of hexagonal rings of carbon; it is like chicken wire.
(blue colour, in the image below, is used below for artistic purposes only,as the colour assigned for the carbon atom throughout this site is black)
The bonds are present only in the planes, so that there is no inter plane bonding. That is why graphite is quite soft and it is used as a lubricant.
When graphite is used as pencil, the layers are deposited on the paper as the pencil is pressed down.
Another interesting structure that is made of pure carbon is diamond. In this case, there is a three dimensional bonding instead of this layered structure. That is why diamond is not used for writing; in fact , it is the hardest material on earth.
Another hexagonal carbon structure is benzene.
Graphite is also used in the nuclear industry. It is placed inside the core of nuclear reactors like for onstance AGR's (advanced gas reactors).
Other images of the graphite structure:
© Ricardo Esplugas. All images in this site can be bought in an enlarged version. Please contact me on ricardochemistry@gmail.com