Question: What properties distinguish ionic compounds from covalent compounds?

Jesus Calvo-Castro answered on 19 Nov 2015:

Hi @James Rodriguez. Firstly…are you a football fan? 😀 You must be with this name 🙂 Ionic and covalent compounds are significantly different. Also, in chemistry we don’t like to talk in absolute terms so often you will see or read how covalent or how ionic a compound is. In general, ionic compounds are formed by elements of very different electronegatives, forming crystalline structures which are soluble in water, only conduct the electricity in solution and have usually high melting points (since the strength of these bonds in quite big). In turn, covalent compounds are formed by atoms of elements of very similar electronegativity and therefore the electrons are shared (they have very little preference to be close to one of the atoms forming the bond). As such, these compounds have weaker bonds and low melting points and are liquids or gases at room temperature