Giant Ionic and Giant Covalent

GIANT IONIC STRUCTURES
Sodium chloride is a good example of a giant ionic structure made up of a regular lattice of
alternating sodium ions, Na+, and chloride ions, Cl-, in three dimensions, extending over huge
numbers of ions.
The lattice goes on and on in all three dimensions over potentially huge numbers of ions. Notice
the alternating positive and negative ions in all three dimensions.
What holds the lattice together are the strong electrostatic forces of attractions between the positive
and negative ions.
Simple physical properties of giant ionic compounds
Melting and boiling points

The forces between positive and negative ions in the lattice are strong and this leads to ionic
compounds having high melting and boiling points.
For example, sodium chloride and magnesium oxide have identical structures and both have high
melting and boiling points.
Sodium chloride melts at 801°C and boils at 1465°C.

Magnesium oxide melts at 2852°C and boils at 3600°C.
The higher melting and boiling points of magnesium oxide compared with sodium chloride are
because in magnesium oxide you have 2+ ions attracting 2- ions - a much stronger attraction than
1+ to 1- in sodium chloride.
Brittleness
Giant ionic structures can be quite hard solids, but are very brittle. They are easily broken into
pieces.
You can see that a small movement of any layer brings ions of the same charge next to each other.
You get massive repulsion, and the crystal would fall to pieces where that shift has happened.
Solubility in water
Sodium chloride, like most other ionic compounds, are soluble in water.
Ionic compounds and other polar substances dissolve in polar solvents such as water.
Solubility
A polar compound will dissolve in a polar solvent.
A non-polar substance will dissolve in a non-polar solvent.
Bond polarity originates from a difference in electronegativity between the bonded elements.
(Re: Electronegativity is a measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of

electrons).
The most electronegative elements are O, N and F.
Consider water.
Since O-H is a covalent bond, we would have expected that a shared pair of electrons would lie
around the middle of the two elements, but since H is a very small atom bonded to one of the most
highly electronegative elements, O, there is an asymmetric distribution of charge between the
elements. This leads to the formation of partially positive and partially negative regions. This is
described as POLAR.
Since ionic compounds are “similar” since they have positive and negative regions, they dissolve
in polar solvents.
Notice that water is covalently bonded but considered to be polar. This means that other covalent
molecules may be polar and therefore soluble in water instead of in non-polar solvents, such as
most organic solvents.
Whenever H is bonded to O, N or F, a H Bond is formed.
Conduction of electricity
When a piece of copper wire conducts electricity, what is happening is that electrons are flowing
along it. At no point is the copper changed chemically by this - it is purely a physical property.
Solid ionic compounds such as sodium chloride don't conduct electricity - there are no free
electrons.
But molten sodium chloride and sodium chloride solution can conduct electricity, as the electrons
are then mobile and can carry a current.
GIANT COVALENT STRUCTURES
A giant covalent structure is one in which the atoms are joined up by covalent bonds over huge
(but variable) numbers of atoms. It is not a molecule, because the number of atoms joined up in a
diamond, say, is completely variable - depending on the size of the crystal.
You may find that these structures are sometimes described as "giant molecular structures". I think
this is misleading. A molecule contains a fixed number of atoms (even if that number is very large).
In a giant covalent structure like diamond the number of carbon atoms is entirely variable.
The giant covalent structure of diamond
Carbon has an electronic arrangement of 2,4. In diamond, each carbon atom shares electrons with
four other carbon atoms - forming four single bonds.
In the diagram some carbon atoms only seem to be forming two bonds (or even one bond), but
that's because we are only showing a small part of the whole structure. Every carbon atom, until
you get a crystal edge, will be joined to four others.
The physical properties of diamond

• sublimes at ordinary pressures at almost 4000°C. Very strong carbon-carbon covalent
bonds have to be broken throughout the structure before sublimation occurs.
• is very hard (hardest substance on earth). This is again due to the need to break very strong
covalent bonds operating in 3-dimensions.
• doesn't conduct electricity. All the electrons are held tightly between the atoms, and aren't
free to move.
• is insoluble in water and organic solvents. There are no possible attractions which could
occur between solvent molecules and carbon atoms which could outweigh the attractions
between the covalently bound carbon atoms.
The giant covalent structure of graphite
Graphite is another allotrope of carbon.

Allotropes are different forms of the same element in the same physical state.
So carbon and diamond are both allotropes of carbon, because they are both chemically carbon,
both solids, but obviously different.
The diagram above shows the arrangement of the atoms in each layer, and the way the layers are
spaced.
Each carbon atom uses three of its electrons to form simple covalent bonds to its three close
neighbours. That leaves a fourth electron in the bonding level. These "spare" electrons in each
carbon atom become delocalised over the whole of the sheet of atoms in one layer. They are no
longer associated directly with any particular atom or pair of atoms, but are free to wander
throughout the whole sheet.
The important thing is that the delocalised electrons are free to move anywhere within the sheet -
each electron is no longer fixed to a particular carbon atom. There is, however, no direct contact
between the delocalised electrons in one sheet and those in the neighbouring sheets.
The atoms within a sheet are held together by strong covalent bonds - stronger, in fact, than in
diamond because of the additional bonding caused by the delocalised electrons. The forces of
attraction between the layers are much weaker.
The physical properties of graphite

• very high melting point because of strong covalent bonds
• black, opaque, shiny
• has a soft, slippery feel, and is used in pencils and as a dry lubricant for things like locks.
You can think of graphite rather like a pack of cards - each card is strong, but the cards will
slide over each other, or even fall off the pack altogether. When you use a pencil, sheets
are rubbed off and stick to the paper.
• has a lower density than diamond – soft and brittle
• is insoluble in water and organic solvents - for the same reason that diamond is insoluble.
Attractions between solvent molecules and carbon atoms will never be strong enough to
overcome the strong covalent bonds in graphite.
• conducts electricity. The delocalised electrons are free to move throughout the sheets. If a
piece of graphite is connected into a circuit, electrons can fall off one end of the sheet and
be replaced with new ones at the other end.
References
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/
Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Physical_Properties_of_Matter/
Atomic_and_Molecular_Properties/Electronegativity
https://www.chemguide.uk/14to16/structure/giantionic.html#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20giant
%20ionic,over%20huge%20numbers%20of%20ions.&text=Notice%20the%20alternating%20po
sitive%20and%20negative%20ions%20in%20all%20three%20dimensions.
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-biology-foundations/hs-water-
and-life/a/hs-water-and-life-review
https://ib.bioninja.com.au/standard-level/topic-2-molecular-biology/22-water/hydrogen-
bonding.html
https://www.quora.com/Why-does-graphite-stick-to-paper-How-does-it-happen
https://www.chemguide.co.uk/14to16/structure/giantcovalent.html#:~:text=A%20giant%20coval
ent%20structure%20is,but%20variable)%20numbers%20of%20atoms.&text=A%20molecule%2
0contains%20a%20fixed,carbon%20atoms%20is%20entirely%20variable.

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GIANT IONIC STRUCTURES

Simple physical properties of giant ionic compounds

Melting and boiling points

Sodium chloride melts at 801°C and boils at 1465°C.

(Re: Electronegativity is a measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of

The giant covalent structure of diamond

The physical properties of diamond

The giant covalent structure of graphite

Graphite is another allotrope of carbon.

The physical properties of graphite

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