Bonding and material properties

Question 1

Why is the ball and stick ionic bond representation useful?

Answer 1

It shows an ionic compound in 3D and shows the angles in the molecule

Question 2

How are the melting and boiling points of a compound affected by the size of the molecules in the compound?

Answer 2

As molecules get larger their melting and boiling point increase

Question 3

What type of giant covalent structure is formed by each carbon atom bonding to four other carbon atoms in the tetrahedral arrangement?

Answer 3

Diamond- the carbon atoms form a regular tetrahedral structure

Question 4

What is the key characteristic of metallic bonding that allows metals to conduct electricity?

Answer 4

Delocalised free moving electrons allow metals to conduct electricity

Question 5

Describe the difference in structure between graphite and graphene

Answer 5

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal grid.
Graphite is formed of many of these layers stacked with free electrons moving between the layers

Question 6

Why do solids have fixed shapes?

Answer 6

Solids have fixed shapes and can’t be compressed because the particles are not free to move

Question 7

What is the size of a nanoparticle?

Answer 7

A nanoparticle is around 1 to 100 nanometres. There are one million nanometres in a millimetre

Question 8

What ion is formed when a magnesium atom loses its electrons in it’s outer shell?

Answer 8

Magnesium (Mg) has two electrons in it’s outer shells. So when those electrons are lost, it becomes a Mg 2+ ion