Ionic bonding is the strongest type of intermolecular force and is responsible for the high melting points of solid salts. In ionic bonding, positive and negative ions are held together by strong electrostatic forces of attraction.
These are the hydrogen bonds between molecules.
Van der Waals forces
Hydrogen bonding, which is the strongest of the intermolecular forces.
Entirely different things affect the melting points of covalent compounds and ionic compounds. The melting points of covalent compounds are affected by which intermolecular force affects it and how strong they are: The intermolecular forces are: London forces, dipole to diploe forces and hydrogen bonding. Which ones are happening depends on the molecule. You'll have to research each force to understand how it works. For ionic compounds it is due to charge density of either the anion or the cation: which is the relative charge/ionic radii. A greater charge density means a higher boiling point.
Hydrogen bonding
Ionic bonding is the strongest type of intermolecular force and is responsible for the high melting points of solid salts. In ionic bonding, positive and negative ions are held together by strong electrostatic forces of attraction.
London dispersion forces would affect the melting point the least, as they are the weakest intermolecular force. They are caused by temporary fluctuations in electron density, making them generally less influential on physical properties compared to other intermolecular forces such as hydrogen bonding or dipole-dipole interactions.
Different materials have different melting points due to variations in the strength of intermolecular forces between their particles. Substances with strong intermolecular forces require more energy to overcome these forces and transition from solid to liquid states, resulting in higher melting points. Conversely, substances with weaker intermolecular forces have lower melting points.
Melting points are a reflection of the intermolecular forces and intramolecular forces of the compound. The stronger the intermolecular force, the more energy it takes to bring it to a different state.
The cause is just this weak intermolecular force, ease to be broken.
Stronger intermolecular forces result in higher boiling points because they require more energy to overcome and separate the molecules within a substance. Examples of strong intermolecular forces include hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole interactions, and ion-ion interactions.
Ionic bonds would affect melting point the least. This is because ionic bonds are typically much stronger than the other intermolecular forces mentioned, making them less susceptible to changes in temperature that affect the melting point.
Van der Waals forces
These are the hydrogen bonds between molecules.
If intermolecular forces increase, the attractions between molecules will strengthen. This can lead to molecules forming more stable structures, such as a solid from a liquid, or a liquid from a gas. It can also result in higher boiling and melting points for substances.
Dipole-dipole forces are attractive interactions between polar molecules that help hold them together. Stronger dipole-dipole forces result in higher melting and boiling points because more energy is needed to overcome these forces and transition from solid to liquid or liquid to gas. In general, substances with stronger dipole-dipole forces will have higher melting and boiling points compared to substances with weaker forces.