Themes > Science > Chemistry > Miscellenous > Help file Index > Liquid and Solid Properties > Network Covalent

Network covalent solids are one common type of solids. In a network covalent solid, the atoms are bound to each other by a network of covalent bonds. Common properties of network covalent substances are:
  • High melting point and boiling point. Covalent bonds are very strong.
  • Insoluble in most solvents. Breaking the covalent bonds to dissolve the substance takes a lot of energy.
  • Poor electrical conductivity. The electrons are localized in covalent bonds, not spread out like in a metal.

Examples of network covalent substances are diamond, quartz and graphite. Models of diamond and graphite are shown below if you have Chime installed. Graphite is an interesting case: it's made up of sheets of sp2 hybridized carbon atoms in a network covalent arrangement, but the sheets themselves aren't bonded to other sheets and are held together only with London dispersion forces.


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