Graphite

About Graphite:

• It is an opaque, non-metallic carbon polymorph that is blackish silver in colour and metallic to dull in sheen.
• Since it resembles metal lead, it is also known colloquially as black lead or plumbago.
• It is formed by the metamorphosis of sediments containing carbonaceous material.
• It is a naturally occurring form of crystalline carbon.
• It is extremely soft, cleaves with very light pressure, and has a very low specific gravity.
• In contrast, it is extremely resistant to heat and nearly inert in contact with almost any other material.
• These extreme properties give it a wide range of uses in metallurgy and manufacturing.
• Molecular structure
  • It consists of a ring of six carbon atoms closely bonded together hexagonally in widely spaced layers.
  • The bonds within the layers are strong, but the bonds between the layers are less in number and therefore weaker.
  • Graphite is a stable form of carbon.
• Applications: It is used in pencils, lubricants, crucibles, foundry facings, polishes, arc lamps, batteries, brushes for electric motors, and cores of nuclear reactors.
• It is mined extensively in China, India, Brazil, North Korea, and Canada.