KCl – potassium chloride is a metal halide salt. The bonding between potassium and chloride is an ionic bond. The potassium becomes a cation and the chloride an anion. The potassium end of the molecule becomes slightly positive and the other end slightly negative.
Na – sodium contains metallic bonding. It has a high melting due to the bonding and has strong bonds. Each sodium atom is being touched by eight other sodium atoms and they all share electrons between the nuclei and shells. The electrons can move freely within the sodium metal and therefore can conduct electricity. …show more content…
There are many covalent bonds in this structure which would need a lot of energy to break them however the bonds are weak causing the structure to slide over each other making graphite slippery. It can conduct electricity because it contains delocalised electrons.
2. Why does sodium chloride have a higher melting point than water?
Sodium chloride is considered as a giant ionic structure because it consists of repeating lattices of ions. Water only has two hydrogens and one oxygen molecule. There is a strong electrostatic force between sodium and chloride, it has no lone pairs and requires more energy for the bond to be broken. The molecule, sodium chloride, is small and this increases the forces of attraction between the two atoms.
3. Explain why sodium chloride conducts electricity in a molten state but not in a solid state.
When sodium chloride is solid all the electrons stay in one place and are not free to move. When the compound is molten then the electrons are free to move and can conduct electricity.
4. Explain why graphite conducts electricity, but diamond does