carbon black
Atoms within a graphite layer are bonded together tightly by the and bonds; however, the forces between layers are weak. London dispersion forces hold the layers together. To learn more, see the discussion of these weak forces in the chapter on liquids and solids. The weak forces between layers give graphite the soft, flaky character that makes it useful as the so-called lead in pencils and the slippery character that makes it useful as a lubricant. The loosely held electrons in the resonating bonds can move throughout the solid and are responsible for the electrical conductivity of graphite. Other forms of elemental carbon include carbon black, charcoal, and coke. Carbon black is an amorphous form of carbon prepared by the incomplete combustion of natural gas, CH4. It is possible to produce charcoal and coke by heating wood and coal, respectively, at high temperatures in the absence of air. Recently, new forms of elemental carbon molecules have been identified in the soot generated by a smoky flame and in the vapor produced when graphite is heated to very high temperatures in a vacuum or in helium. One of these new forms, first isolated by Professor Richard Smalley and coworkers at Rice University, consists of icosahedral soccerball-shaped molecules that contain 60 carbon atoms, C60. This is buckminsterfullerene often called bucky balls after the architect Buckminster Fuller, who designed domed structures, which have a similar appearance Figure 18.22 .