Covalent molecules boiling points

Both boron and aluminium chlorides can be prepared by the direct combination of the elements. Boron trichloride can also be prepared by passing chlorine gas over a strongly heated mixture of boron trioxide and carbon. Like boron trifluoride, this is a covalent compound and a gas at ordinary temperature and pressure (boiling point 285 K). It reacts vigorously with water, the mechanism probably involving initial co-ordination of a water molecule (p, 152). and hydrochloric acid is obtained ... 

As the temperature of a gas system is lowered, the speed of the molecules decreases. When these lower-speed molecules collide with one another, attractive forces between the molecules become more significant, and a temperature will be reached where condensation occurs - the vapor state converts to liquid. Di-pole-dipole attractive forces are most important in causing condensation, and molecules with substantial partial charges, resulting from polar covalent bonds, t3q3ically have high condensation temperatures. (Condensation temperature will be the same as the boiling point of a liquid, approached from the opposite direction. )... 

Polarity is a physical property of a compound, which relates other physical properties, e.g. melting and boiling points, solubility and intermolecular interactions between molecules. Generally, there is a direct correlation between the polarity of a molecule and the number and types of polar or nonpolar covalent bond that are present. In a few cases, a molecule having polar bonds, but in a symmetrical arrangement, may give rise to a nonpolar molecule, e.g. carbon dioxide (CO2). 

Covalently bonded substances tend to be hard and to have high melting and boiling points, reflecting the bond strength. They do not conduct electricity because the electrons are tightly held between the atoms and are not free to move. They are insoluble in water and organic solvents because the attractions between the solvent molecules and the atoms in the covalently bonded substances are much weaker than the covalent bonds. 

The hydrogen and halogen carbonyls and the nitroso carbonyls Co(NO)(CO)3, in which all bonds are covalent, are non-polar compounds with relatively low boiling points. The dimeric carbonyl, too, is non-polar, but its boiling point is much higher than that of the monomeric carbonyls because of the larger size of the molecule. 

We see then a gradation from purely ionic to purely covalent bonding in different molecules, and this is manifest in their chemical and physical properties. Consider, for instance, the hydrides of the elements in the second horizontal row of the periodic table. Their melting and boiling points,7 where known, are given below. 

As simple molecular substances, they are usually gases, liquids or solids with low melting and boiling points. The melting points are low because of the weak intermolecular forces of attraction which exist between simple molecules. These are weaker compared to the strong covalent bonds. Giant... 

You can see the difference between intermolecular forces and intramolecular forces in Figure 3.20. Because pure covalent compounds have low melting and boiling points, you know that the intermolecular forces must be very weak compared with the intramolecular forces. It does not take very much energy to break the bonds that hold the molecules to each other. 

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