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How much do you know about

ethylene, diamonds, graphite,
graphene, fullerene and acetylene
containing carbon atoms with
different hybridization?
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Do you know? • ethanol

Ethylene, the simplest alkene, is a hormone that regulates

plant growth and fruit ripening. A ripe banana speeds up the
ripening of green tomatoes because the banana gives off
ethylene.
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Do you know?
 Ethylene is an important starting material in the preparation of the plastic polyethylene.
 Polyethylene was a synthetic plastic first produced in the 1930s and initially used as insulating material
for radar during WWII.
 It is now a plastic used for milk containers, sandwich bags and plastic wrapping. Over 100 billion pounds
of polyethylene are manufactured each year.
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Do you know?
 HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and LDPE (low-density
polyethylene) are two common types of polyethylene
prepared under different reaction conditions and having
different physical properties.
 HDPE is opaque and rigid and is used in water jugs and milk
containers.
 LDPE is less opaque and more flexible and is used in
electrical insulation and plastic bags.
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• ethylene dichloride
acetic acid and acetylene in the presence of a catalyst
Do you know?
•
• ethylene, oxygen and acetic acid in the presence of a catalyst

Cl Cl Cl Cl
H H poly(vinyl chloride)
(insulation, films, pipes)
H H
ethylene
O O O
OCOCH3
OCOCH3 OCOCH3OCOCH3
poly(vinyl acetate)
(paints, adhesives)
C6H5

C6H5 C6H5 C6H5

polystyrene
(styrofoam, molded plastics)
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Do you know?
 Acetylene is a high-energy gaseous hydrocarbon that is explosive at
high pressures.
 Combined with oxygen, acetylene burns with such a hot flame that it
melts steel. Acetylene is commonly used in welding. In gas cylinders,
acetylene is dissolved in acetone to keep it from getting too
concentrated and exploding.
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Do you know?
 The carbon atoms in diamond and graphite are sp3 and sp2 hybridized
respectively. Diamond is the hardest of all substances but graphite is a
slippery, soft solid known as “lead” in pencil. Both materials contain carbon
atoms only but they have very different physical properties due to
hybridization of carbon atoms. Graphene
 Graphene was discovered some years ago. Graphene is a one-atom-thick
planar sheet of graphite. It is the thinnest and lightest material known. It is
transparent and can be bent, stacked or rolled. It is harder than diamond and
it conducts electricity better than copper.

Andre Geim (2004)

Diamond Graphite
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Do you know?
• Harold W. Kroto, Robert F.
Curl, Richard E. Smalley
 Fullerene was discovered unexpectedly in 1985 when the (1985)
scientist were conducting experiments to understand how • David E. H. Jones (1966)
long-chain molecules are formed in outer space. • Eiji Osawa (1970)

 Fullerene, such as buckminsterfullerene, consists of a

hollow cluster of 60 carbon. Like graphite and graphene,
fullerene has only sp2 carbons that are arranged in locking
rings.
 Fullerene have extraordinary chemical and physical
properties. For example, they can survive the extreme
temperatures of outer space. It can be “doped” with
potassium or cerium to become an excellent organic
superconductor.