Generate me a lesson giant covalent structures — 7-topic bundle

You already know that atoms want a full outer shell of electrons to be stable, like the noble gases. They can achieve this by gaining or losing electrons (forming ionic bonds) or by sharing electrons. Sharing electrons is what we call covalent bonding.

Each carbon atom in diamond is tetrahedrally bonded to four other carbon atoms. This means that if you pick any carbon atom, you'll find four other carbon atoms surrounding it, forming a pyramid shape. All these bonds are strong covalent bonds, which require a huge amount of energy to break. This strong, extensive bonding throughout the entire structure is what gives diamond its extreme properties.