Question detail

What physical property of ionic compounds is primarily due to their lattice structure?

Try the question, check the answer, then read the explanation to understand the curriculum point.

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At a glance

MCQ

Type

practice

Style

Topic

Bonding

Question

A. High melting and boiling points
B. Electrical conductivity in solid state
C. Solubility in non-polar solvents
D. Low density

Answer

High melting and boiling points

Explanation

Ionic compounds have high melting and boiling points due to the strong electrostatic forces in their lattice structure, which require a large amount of energy to overcome.

Common mistake

Misunderstanding Ionic Bonding

Students often confuse ionic bonding with covalent bonding, thinking that ionic bonds involve shared electrons instead of electrostatic attraction.

Ionic bonding is defined as the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions. To clarify, remember that in ionic bonding, electrons are transferred from one atom to another, resulting in the formation of positive and negative ions. For example, in sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium (Na) loses an electron to become Na⁺, while chlorine (Cl) gains an electron to become Cl⁻. The attraction between Na⁺ and Cl⁻ forms the ionic bond.

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