Lesson 10

(4) Network or Molecular Materials

Obj. 4.  From the name of an element, determine whether it is a network or molecular material.

The fourth objective says that from the name of an element, determine whether it is a network or molecular material. The guidelines for this go back to when we were working with bonding, and here's what you have to do for an element. Elements will either have metallic or covalent bonding. If the element has metallic bonding, it will be a network material. If the element has covalent bonding, then it might be network, it might be molecular. Most covalently bonded materials are molecular materials. The exceptions that we will deal with in this course are: boron, carbon, silicon and silicon dioxide. So as far as elements are concerned, boron, carbon and silicon are the exceptions that you have to worry about.

With that in mind, work through exercise 4.

Exercises

Which of the following elements are network materials and which are molecular materials?

a. zinc
b. aluminum
c. silicon
d. carbon
e. nitrogen
f. oxygen
g. chlorine

Answers to Exercises

Which of the following elements are network materials and which are molecular materials?

a. zinc - network
b. aluminum - network
c. silicon - network
d. carbon - network
e. nitrogen - molecular
f. oxygen - molecular
g. chlorine - molecular

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