What is the difference between ionic and covalent compounds?

Answer 1

In general, ionic compounds occur when a metal ion and a nonmetal ion make a compound. When they are a compound, electron(s) are transferred. Ionic compounds will generally conduct electricity as a solution, are brittle, hard, and tend to have high melting and boiling points.

Covalently bonded compounds are generally nonmetal atoms that become a compound, and when they are a compound, they share electron(s). Covalent compounds have low melting points and are poor conductors of electricity (however, an example of something that defies this description is graphite, which is a carbon allotrope that conducts electricity due to electron delocalization).

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It is erroneous to say that metal/nonmetal bonds are always ionic, in fact, there are no 100% ionic bonds. Bonding lies along a continuum between 100% covalent and bonds which have a high percent ionic character, but even those have some covalent character as well.

You are better off distinguishing between compounds which exist as networks or lattices and compounds which exist as discrete molecules. Compounds which exist as networks include salts with highly polar bonds, like NaCl, and compounds with high covalent character, like SiO2. These are the ones with high melting points. Diamond and quartz have very high melting points and are very hard and both have very covalent bonds.

Statements like the one above are vast oversimplifications riddled with misconceptions.

Answer 2

Covalent compounds are more flammable when compared to ionic compounds.

Ionic compounds are more soluble in water than covalent compounds.

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Answer 3

Ionic compounds are formed when there is transfer of electron, resulting in the formation of a charge. For example, Sodium (metal) and chlorine(Non metal) react to form Sodium Chloride, which is an ionic compound. In this formation, what actually happens is, Sodium (Having 1 electron in the last orbit) has to lose 1 electron for a noble gas configuration( Stable configuration) and Chlorine(having 7 electron in the last orbit) requires 1 electron for a stable configuration. So, Sodium gives away the extra electron to Chlorine and forms sodium chloride where sodium (Na) has a +ve charge (As it loses an electron) and chlorine has a -ve charge (as it gains an electron)

Thus an ionic compound is formed when there is an actual transfer of electrons between the reactants to attain a stable configuration.

A covalent compound is formed by the sharing of electrons. As there is no actual transfer of electrons, there is no charge.

For example, Methane (CH4) is a covalent compound. as carbon as four valence electrons, it can't gain or lose 4 electrons because : 1. If it gains 4 electrons, then it will be difficult for four protons to hold onto 8 electron,

2. If it loses four electrons then, there won't be any electron and four protons cannot manage. i.e., there won't be stability.

So, Carbon can only share four electrons and Hydrogen has one valence electron in the last orbit. Hence, in Methane, the four valencies of Carbon is satisfied by 4 hydrogen atoms giving rise to the covalent compound (CH4).

thus, covalent compounds are formed by the sharing of electrons by covalent bonds between elements.

Answer 4

an ionic compound is formed by loss and gain of electrons while a coalent compound is formed by mutual sharing of electrons