Carbon forms oxides like C3O2 (O = C = C = C = O) however silicon does not. Explain why silicon does not form these analog compounds
Answers
Answer:
it is because of the structure of the CO2. Two of carbon's valence electrons hybridize into two sp hybrid orbitals. As a result, the molecule is one dimensional with an angle of 180∘ between bonds and completely non-polar. The Si, on the other hand, does not form such bonds and the angle is far from 180°, which in conjunction with oxygens high electronegativity makes it quite polar. Thus the interaction between neighboring Si and O atoms of different SiO2 molecules is much higher and as a consequence you need much more energy to break the solid, giving it an increased melting point.
The mass (as discussed in various comments) does not play any role here since it is a matter of interaction or forces. The gravitational pull of single atoms or molecules is ridiculously small and never finds any considerations in such calculations (as it should!).