Classification Of Solid Substances

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Melting point is the change of a substance from its solid state to its liquid state. In order to "melt" something enough energy (heat) has to be put into the substance in order for the attraction between different molecules to be overcome. These attractions are called intermolecular forces. Solubility refers to the ability of a substance called solute, to dissolve in another substance called solvent. A mixture of solute and solvent forms a homogeneous solution of the solute in the solvent. Sugar for example, dissolves in water to make a homogenous solution. Conductivity defines a material’s ability to conduct electricity. Electric current can flow easily through a material with high conductivity. A material such a metal has a high conductivity, while rubber has a very low conductivity. While in the classification of solid substances most substances can be neatly placed in “ionic” or “covalent” categories, an infinite number of intermediate possibilities exist in between. For covalent molecules for example, it must be considered whether they are polar or nonpolar, and how one molecule interacts with a like, adjacent molecule. In describing covalent bonding, we say a pair of electrons is shared, while in ionic bonding electrons are transferred. To summarize, solid substances can be classified as ionic, nonpolar covalent, polar covalent, network covalent and metallic. In ionic compounds electrons are transferred and ions of opposite charge are attracted to each other to form solids in crystalline form. They are soluble in polar or ionic solvents; often dissolves in water to yield free ions that will conduct electricity in solution and have medium to high meting point. In nonpolar covalent bonds, electrons are generally shared within molecules, and there is very little interaction between molecules. They have low melting point. These materials are frequently

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