Question

What are allotropes? Give an example

Answer 1

They're different structures of the same element. A common allotrope you will know of is the difference between diamond and graphite. Both are carbon, but diamond is a rigid crystal structure while graphite is sheets that easily slide past each other.

Answer 2

Another example is oxygen, which exist in the allotropes of O_2 (oxygen gas), and O_3 (ozone), i.e. different structured molecules. The different gases have different physical and chemical properties, as well as different stabilities depending on physical conditions.

Answer 3

For example, the element carbon has two common allotropes: Diamond, in which the carbon atoms are bonded together in a tetrahedral lattice arrangement, and graphite, in which the carbon atoms are bonded together in sheets of a hexagonal lattice.