Allotropy or
allotropism is the property of some
chemical elements to exist in two or more different forms, in the same physical
state, known as
allotropes of these elements. Allotropes are different structural modifications of an element; the
atoms of the element are
bonded together in a different manner. For example, the
allotropes of carbon include
diamond (where the carbon atoms are bonded together in a
tetrahedral lattice arrangement),
graphite (where the carbon atoms are bonded together in sheets of a
hexagonal lattice),
graphene (single sheets of graphite), and
fullerenes (where the carbon atoms are bonded together in spherical, tubular, or ellipsoidal formations). The term
allotropy is used for elements only, not for
compounds. The more general term, used for any crystalline material, is
polymorphism. Allotropy refers only to different forms of an element within the same
phase (i.e. different
solid,
liquid or
gas forms); these different states are not, themselves, considered to be examples of allotropy.