dense

[ankur bhattacharjee]

Explain why covalently bonded materials are generally less dense than ionically or metallicaly bonded one

[India Hindi Blog Information]

Covalent bonds are formed between the atoms having unfilled p sub-orbits. These p sub-orbits are directional in nature. Due to this covalent bonds are directional in nature. Due to the directional nature of covalent bonds, materials having these bonds cannot have a closed packed structure. They have a open crystal structure, as a result of which covalently bonded materials are generally less dense. On the other hand, in metallically or ionically bonded materials, the metal ions are strongly bounded by the strong electrical attraction between negative and positive ions. Due to which they have a closed packed structure and are more dense.