Edexcel GCSE Combined Science · 1SC0
Specification Types of substance · Paper 3, Paper 4
Revise: Carbon structures and simple polymersDiamond and graphite both contain only carbon atoms, yet diamond is extremely hard while graphite is soft and slippery. They are allotropes: different structural forms of the same element. Their different properties come from how their atoms are arranged and bonded, not from containing different elements.