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The image shows bonding for diamond (on the left) and graphite (on the right). Both minerals are made of carbon, so why do they have very different properties (why is graphite so soft while diamond is so hard)? CMcGraw-Hill Education Multiple Choice Covalent bonds in both minerals are very strong, but intermolecular bonds between sheets in graphite are very weak.
Multiple Choice Covalent bonds in both minerals are very strong, but intermolecular bonds between sheets in graphite are very weak. Graphite's mixture of covalent and intermolecular bonds is stronger than the solely covalent bonds within diamond. Diamond has a different type of covalent bonds between the atoms of carbon than does graphite. Minerals with only one type of bond will always be harder than minerals that have two different types of bonding.