2007-07-19 04:11:32 · 4 answers · asked by Helen 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
The first thing I would try is dissolving in water - but that may be inconclusive since all ionic substances are NOT soluble in water.
The second thing I would do is take a melting point. The covalent material should melt or decompose before 250ºC the ionic will not.
2007-07-19 04:47:06 · answer #1 · answered by Dr Dave P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no easy answer.
Others have suggested dissolving in water to see if the solution conducts. However (a) not all ionic compounds dissolve in water and (b) some covalent compunds (e.g. PCl5) react with water to produce ions and hence a solution which conducts.
It has also been suggested that you measure the melting point. It is true that most ionic compunds have high melting points so if the melting pint is low (say less than 200°C) it is probably covalent. However, some covalent compounds also have high melting points if they have a giant structure. For example sand (mainly SiO2) is a yellow substance which has a high melting point but it has a giant covalent structure.
The only sure way I can think of to determine whether the bonding is ionic or covalent is to place a sample in a x-ray diffractometer and look at the output in the form of an electron density map. However, this is not a trivial experiment and requires very expensive equipment.
2007-07-19 07:05:36 · answer #2 · answered by Chemmunicator 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The easiest is to dissolve a bit of the compound in water and see whether the solution conducts electricity or not.
That does assume that the compound is at least slightly soluble in water.
2007-07-19 04:17:07 · answer #3 · answered by hcbiochem 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
if it is ionic it will dissolve in water and if it is covalent it will dissolve in organic substances......OR if it conducts electricity in aqueous state then it is ionic,
2007-07-19 04:27:15 · answer #4 · answered by Akshav 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋