Structure: Giant Covalent Substances
- Covalent bonding can be responsible for substances that have many different structures and therefore different physical properties
- We have already seen how small molecules such as H2O and N2 are simple units made from covalently bonded atoms
- These simple molecules contain fixed numbers of atoms
- Giant covalent structures on the other hand have a huge number of non-metal atoms bonded to other non-metal atoms via strong covalent bonds
- These structures can also be called giant lattices and have a fixed ratio of atoms in the overall structure
- Three common macromolecules you should know about are diamond, graphite and silicon dioxide
Exam Tip
Giant covalent structures can also be called macromolecules.