Effects of Bonding & Structure on Physical Properties
Different types of?structure?and?bonding?have different effects on the?physical properties?of substances such as their?melting?and?boiling points,?electrical conductivity?and?solubility
Ionic bonding & giant ionic lattice structures
Ionic compounds are?strong
The?strong electrostatic forces?in ionic compounds keep the ions strongly together
They are?brittle?(meaning ionic crystals can split apart easily)
These compounds have weak intermolecular forces between the molecules
Only little energy is required to break the lattice
Most compounds are insoluble with water
Unless they are polar and can form hydrogen bonds?(such as sucrose)
They do not?conduct electricity?in the?solid?or?liquid?state as there are no charged particles
Some simple covalent compounds do conduct electricity in solution, but this is a reaction with the water than produces ions such as HCl which forms H+?and Cl-?ions
These compounds have a large number of?covalent bonds?linking the whole structure
A lot of energy is required to break the lattice
The compounds can be?hard?or?soft
Graphite is?soft?as the forces between the carbon layers are weak
Diamond and silicon(IV) oxide are?hard?as it is difficult to break their 3D network of strong covalent bonds
Most compounds are insoluble with water
Most compounds do not?conduct electricity?however some do
Graphite has?delocalised?electrons between the carbon layers which can move along the layers when a voltage is applied
Diamond and silicon(IV) oxide do not conduct electricity as all four outer electrons on every carbon atom are involved in a?covalent bond?so there are no freely moving electrons available
Characteristics of Different Compound Structure Types Table
Worked Example
Bonding & structureThe table below shows the physical properties of substances X, Y and ZWhich one of the following statements about X and Y is completely true?Statement 1:?X has a giant ionic structure, Y has a giant molecular structure, Z is a metalStatement 2:?X is a metal, Y has a simple molecular structure, Z has a giant molecular structureStatement 3:?X is a metal, Y has a simple molecular structure, Z has a giant ionic structureStatement 4:?X has a giant ionic structure, Y has a simple molecular structure, Z is a metal
Answer
The correct answer is?Statement 4
The relatively high melting point, solubility in water and electrical conductivity when molten suggest that?X?is a?giant ionic structure.
The low melting point of?Y?suggests that little energy is needed to break the lattice which corresponds to a?simple molecular structure. This is further supported by the low electrical conductivity and its being almost insoluble in water.
Compound?Z?has a very high melting point which is characteristic of either metallic or giant molecular lattices, however since it conducts electricity, compound Z must be a?giant metallic lattice.