Question

due to low intramolecular forces, most covalent compounds exist as which two states of matter at room temperature?
gases
brittle solids
solids
liquids

1. choose the best answer.

which of these will form a compound with the highest boiling point?
ionic bonding
covalent bonding
hydrogen
metallic bonding

Explanation:

First Question (Multiple Choice - States of Covalent Compounds)

Covalent compounds have low intermolecular forces (note: "intramolecular" here likely refers to intermolecular as intramolecular forces are within molecules, but the context is about forces between molecules affecting state). Gases and liquids have weaker intermolecular forces compared to solids. Most covalent compounds at room temp are gases (e.g., CO₂, O₂) or liquids (e.g., H₂O, ethanol) because their intermolecular forces (like London dispersion, dipole - dipole) are weak enough that they don't hold the molecules in a rigid solid structure at room temp. Brittle solids and solids in general are more associated with ionic or network covalent (which is a type of covalent but with strong forces) compounds.

Ionic compounds have strong electrostatic forces between ions (ionic bonds). These strong forces require a large amount of energy to break, leading to high boiling points. Covalent compounds (molecular) have weaker intermolecular forces. Hydrogen bonding is a type of intermolecular force (not a bonding type for compound formation in the same sense as ionic/covalent/metallic) and is weaker than ionic forces. Metallic bonding has varying strengths, but generally, ionic compounds have higher boiling points than most metallic and covalent compounds. So ionic bonding forms compounds with the highest boiling point.

Answer:

gases, liquids

Second Question (Multiple Choice - Boiling Point of Compounds)