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Question
what property causes covalent compounds to be brittle?
strong metallic bonds
high flexibility
strong ionic bonds
weak intermolecular forces
Covalent compounds have weak intermolecular forces. These forces are not strong enough to allow the layers of molecules to slide over each other when stress is applied. Instead, the structure breaks easily, making the compound brittle. Strong metallic bonds are in metals, high flexibility would not cause brittleness, and strong ionic bonds are in ionic compounds.
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weak intermolecular forces