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12/09/2021 6:37 pm
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Explain why :
(a) covalent compounds have generally low melting points.
(b) ionic compounds have generally high melting points.
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12/09/2021 6:37 pm
(a) Covalent compounds have generally low melting points because they are made up of electrically neutral molecules. So, the force of attraction between the molecules of a covalent compound is very weak. Hence, only a small amount of heat energy is required to break these weak molecular forces.
(b) Ionic compounds are made of up of positive and negative ions. There is a strong force of attraction between the oppositely charged ions, so a lot of heat energy is required to break this force of attraction and melt or boil the ionic compound. Due to this, ionic compounds have high melting points.