How are the carbon atoms of graphite arranged?
Crystalline graphite consists of parallel sheets of carbon atoms, each sheet containing hexagonal arrays of carbon atoms. Each atom is connected to three nearest neighbors, within the sheets, by covalent bonds that separate them by a distance of 1.415 Angstroms. This bonding arrangement results from the sp2 hybridization of carbon’s electronic orbitals. Another intriguing aspect of the bonding scheme within the graphite sheets is the distributed pi bonding between the carbon atoms. This distributed pi bonding gives rise to delocalized electrons that makes graphite electrically conducting. The sheets are held together by weak Van der Waals forces and are separated from each other by a distance of 3.35 Angstroms.
