Question

Which of the following statement(s) is / are correct regarding ionic compounds?
A. they are good conductors of electricity at room temperature.
B. they are always more soluble in polar solvents than covalent compounds.
C. they consists of ions
D. they generally have high melting and boiling points.

Answer 1

Hint: Atoms in a molecule are held together by various bonds. These bonds are a result of either share or transfer of electrons. Compounds formed by transfer of electrons in their atoms are known as ionic compounds. Ionic compounds consist of ionic bonds, usually between a metal and a non – metal.

Complete answer:
Chemical compounds are formed due to the bonds created between the atoms. The atoms either share the electrons or transfer the electrons in order to form bonds between atoms, and hence molecules. Ionic bonds are formed when an atom, particularly a metal that contains one or two electrons in its valence shell, transfers these valence electrons to any non – metal that has completed their octet or noble gas configuration through these electrons. These ionic bonds give rise to ionic compounds.
Some of the statements regarding ionic compounds that are correct, from the given statements are:
-The ionic bonds give rise to polarity in bonds, and as we know like dissolve like, so the ionic compounds are more soluble in polar solvents than covalent compounds.
-The ionic compounds contain ions, which are cations, formed by losing electrons, and anions formed by gaining electrons. So, they consist of ions.
- As ionic bonds are formed by transfer of electrons, these bonds are much stronger, and thus have a high melting and boiling point.

Hence, we can see that options B, C, and D are correct regarding ionic compounds.

Note: Electricity is conducted through free electrons in a compound. At room temperature, ionic compounds are solids and do not have any free electrons, hence they conduct electricity in molten state. So, they are not good conductors of electricity at room temperature. Some examples of ionic compounds are KCl, NaCl, etc.