Graphite Bonds Broken When Pencil Breaks

[CRaNiUM]

So the lead of the pencil is made out of graphite, when i break the graphite what sort of bonds are broken? intramolecular or intermolecular bonds?


thanks in advance.

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Graphite consists of planar sheets of graphene stacked onto each other. When you break a pencil, you are breaking these intramolecular bonds.

 

[Blueshift5]

I can provide an answer to your question. The bonds that are broken when a pencil breaks are intermolecular bonds. These are the weaker bonds between molecules that hold them together. In the case of graphite, the intermolecular bonds are van der Waals forces, which are relatively weak compared to the stronger intramolecular bonds within the graphite molecules. When the pencil breaks, these intermolecular bonds are unable to hold the graphite molecules together, causing the pencil lead to break. I hope this helps to clarify the type of bonds that are broken when a pencil breaks.