# Fullerenes are molecules of carbon atoms with hollow shapes. One well-known fullerene is C₆₀. Explain why C₆₀ has a much lower melting point than diamond, even though both substances are made entirely of carbon atoms.

> OCR A-Level Chemistry B: Salters (H433) — 2.4 Electrons, bonding and structure · Explain · 5 marks

> C₆₀ is a fullerene made of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a hollow sphere. Diamond is a giant covalent structure in which each carbon atom forms four covalent bonds with four other carbon atoms.

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. Diamond is a giant covalent structure with many strong covalent bonds throughout the whole structure
2. A large amount of energy is needed to break the many strong covalent bonds in diamond, so it has a very high melting point
3. C₆₀ consists of individual/separate molecules (not a giant structure)
4. The forces between C₆₀ molecules are intermolecular forces (not covalent bonds)
5. Less energy is needed to overcome the weak intermolecular forces between C₆₀ molecules, so it has a lower melting point

## Key terms

- [fullerene](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/fullerene)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/fullerenes-are-molecules-of-carbon-atoms-b6ea0a3c) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.