Themes > Science > Chemistry > Miscellenous > Help file Index > Liquid and Solid Properties > Molecular solids

Molecular solids are one type of solid. Solid is a bit of a misnomer here, since the molecules in most molecular substances are held together with very weak London dispersion or dipole forces, and thus have very low melting and boiling points. Common properties of molecular substances are:
  • Low melting and boiling points
  • Nonconducting when pure. Molecules are uncharged and cannot carry current.
  • Insoluble in water, but soluble in non-polar solvents. A few molecular substances such as ethanol dissolve in water, and a few polar ones such as HCl will ionize, but most such as oil, benzene or H2 won't.

Examples of molecular substances include H2, I2, CCl4 and benzene, C6H6.


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