Structure of Ice Diamond Compared

Solution Preview

Please see attached file

Compare the structure of ice with the structure of diamond. If you rotate the structures just right, you will see distinct similarities, namely sp3 hybridization (of oxygen and carbon, respectively) and the hexagonal arrangement of atoms. Given this similarity, explain why ice can be melted by applying pressure whereas diamond cannot.

In water ice, the oxygen of each water molecule is equidistant from the oxygen of each of its four nearest neighbors. The oxygen atoms may be divided into horizontal planes in which the atoms are arrayed at the vertices of a ...