Reasons for Properties Flashcards
Why can’t diamond conduct electricity
Because it has no free electrons and no ions as it is covalently bonded to 4 carbons
Why is diamond very hard and have a high melting point?
Diamond is bonded to its neighbors with 4 strong covalent bonds (so a high amount of energy is needed to break the strong covalent bonds)
Why does Graphite conduct electricity?
Each carbon atom is bonded into its layers of 3 covalent bonds. As a result, there is a spare electron in every layer which forms a sea of delocalised electrons loosely bonding to the layers. These delocalized electrons move together around the structure making graphite a good conductor
Why does Silicon Dioxide (giant covalent structures) have high melting point
A lot of strong covalent bonds must be broken.
Why do Simple Molecular Structures (such as Nitrogen or Carbon Dioxide) have low boiling points
There are weak dispersion (intermolecular) forces between simple molecules and they are broken when substances boil or melt (not the covalent bonds)
Why don’t simple molecular structures (such as Fluorine and Oxygen) conduct electricity?
There is no overall charge or charged particles that can separate even when dissolved in water.
Why do ionic compounds have high melting points?
The strong electrostatic force of attraction between the ions require a lot of energy to break.
