Explain, giving reason, why carbon neither forms C4+ cations nor C4− anions, but forms covalent compounds which are bad conductors of electricity and have low melting point and low boiling point.
Answers
Carbon forms covalent bonds
Explanation:
Carbon has the atomic number 6. Its electronic configuration is 2,4. Carbon has 4 electrons in its valence shell. It can lose or gain 4 electrons in order to gain stability. It cannot gain four electron as carbon atom having 6 protons is very small to handle 10 electrons, and it cannot donate electrons as it needs a lot of energy to do so.
So it cannot form C4+ anion or C4- cations. So they form covalent bonds.
Covalent bonds are formed by sharing of electrons. Since they do not have free electrons, they are unable to conduct electricity. They are bad conductors.
Covalent compounds have low melting and boiling points because they have weak inter-molecular forces between bonds. Less energy is required to break the covalent bonds.