(a) What is graphite? Of what substance is graphite made?(b) Describe the structure of graphite with the help of a labeled diagram.
(c) Why is graphite a good conductor of electricity but diamond is a non-conductor of electricity?
(d) State any two uses of graphite.

(a) Graphite is an allotrope of carbon. It is a soft, greyish black and opaque substance made up of carbon atoms.

(b) A graphite crystal consists of layers of carbon atoms or sheets of carbon atoms. Each carbon atom in a graphite layer is joined to the other three carbon atoms by strong covalent bonds to form flat hexagonal rings. The various layers of carbon atoms in graphite are held together by weak Van der Waals forces. Due to this sheet-like structure, graphite is a comparatively soft substance.