What is an Allotrope?WARM UP

ALLOTROPES CHEMICAL ELEMENTS THAT EXIST IN TWO OR MORE STRUCTURAL FORMS.

FROM THE GREEK WORD THAT MEANS “OTHER” AND “GROW”.

CarbonCarbon has three naturally occurring allotropes. Graphite is the most common. Diamond is much more rare. Think about the difference between pencil lead and diamond. Buckminsterfullerene was first synthesized in 1985 at Rice University. Despite its “soccerball” shape, we now know that it is naturally occurring as well. The far right structure is a human-made carbon nanotube

Sulfur

Sulfur has a number of naturally occurring allotropes. The most common is S8. Three different allotropes are shown here. There is even an allotrope of sulfur, S2, that is a gas at room temperature.

PhosphorusPhosphorus has a number of allotropes as well. Here are the two of the more common forms, white and red phosphorus. Unfortunately, white phosphorus is one of the worst chemicals of warfare, being the primary ingredient in napalm.