properties of small covalent molecules Flashcards
what type of melting and boiling points do small covalent molecules have?
what does their m.p and b.p tell us?
low m.p and b.p
they are usually gases or liquids at room temp
why do small covalent molecules have low mp and bp?
the atoms in each element are held together by strong covalent bonds
weak intermolecular forces between a molecule and its molecule (H—H)
when increasing the temperature
the
what happens when we increase the temperature of the liquid what happens to the intermolecular forces?
the vibration of the molecules increases
at a certain point this vibration is strong enough to break the intermolecular forces, that holds the molecule to eachother
at this point the molecules turn into a gas (they boil)
we can see that because the intermolecular forces are weak it does not require a lot of energy to turn small covalent molecules from a liquid to a gas
in an exam they might ask
why a small covalent molecule has a low mp and bp
the key fact is that..
the weak intermolecular forces don’t require much energy for them to break
how can intermolecular forces increase?
by increasing the size of the molecule
do small covalent molecules conduct electricity ?
why?
no
because the molecules do not have an overall electric charge
small covalent molecules not having an overall electric charge means that they cannot …
can’t conduct electricity
