What are the differences between molecular and non-molecular structures?

1 Answer
anor277
Mar 13, 2017

I think you refer to the difference between molecular, and non-molecular structures......

Explanation:

Consider methane, #CH_4#, a room temperature gas, #"boiling point"# #=# #-164# #""^@C#, versus diamond or graphite, with melting points and boiling points so high as to be almost unmeasurable. The difference in physical properties is not due to the strength of the bonds: #C-C# bonds are LESS strong than #C-H# bonds. The difference is due to the molecularity of each substance. Graphite is NON-MOLECULAR, and it is reasonable it takes much more energy to disrupt #C-C# bonds, than it takes to disrupt the fairly weak Van der Waals interaction between discrete molecules of methane.

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