Ionic vs Covalent Bond Strength

[plzNOCarribbean]

sorry, I know this is a question I should know but if someone could clarify it would be greatly appreciated.....

Isn't an ionic bond stronger than Covalent bond? ionic bonds are due to a coulomb force, due to attraction between opposite charges (+ & - ) and the boiling point of a ionic bond is much, much higher than a covalent bond.

I could see how a covalent bond could be stronger because of the overlap in electron clouds, (especially sigma bonds where overlap is head on as opposed to pi bonds where overlap is sideways)... So which is stronger?

bond strength increases with polarity, which is why H-F > H-Br, which, by this logic wouldn't a ionic bond be stronger than a due to the larger E.N difference. Thanks again. the reason i ask is because my younger brothers intro to bio teacher (her first year teaching, bc she was research faculty for 15 years) told all the students that covalent bonds are stronger than ionic bonds, and I just wanted to verify this.

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[Rabolisk]

When you boil water, you don't get hydrogen and oxygen gas.

 

[enTropeeeeeeeee]

sorry, I know this is a question I should know but if someone could clarify it would be greatly appreciated.....

Isn't an ionic bond stronger than Covalent bond? ionic bonds are due to a coulomb force, due to attraction between opposite charges (+ & - ) and the boiling point of a ionic bond is much, much higher than a covalent bond.

I could see how a covalent bond could be stronger because of the overlap in electron clouds, (especially sigma bonds where overlap is head on as opposed to pi bonds where overlap is sideways)... So which is stronger?

bond strength increases with polarity, which is why H-F > H-Br, which, by this logic wouldn't a ionic bond be stronger than a due to the larger E.N difference. Thanks again. the reason i ask is because my younger brothers intro to bio teacher (her first year teaching, bc she was research faculty for 15 years) told all the students that covalent bonds are stronger than ionic bonds, and I just wanted to verify this.

When I read this question, I thought, "of course covalent bonds are typically stronger than ionic bonds because....". I'm curious if anyone has a good answer to this question.

 

[Morzh]

Generally, covalent bonds are stronger than ionic bonds, but that is not always the case. Remember that all of this covalent vs ionic stuff takes place on a continuum - they aren't hard and fast rules.

Some ionic bonds are stronger than others, depending upon the amount of electrostatic (coloumbic) force at play (Fe3+ has more charge than Na+). As you pointed out, the same is true with covalent bonds as well.. not all are equal. This is where orbital overlap comes into play.

The environment of the ionic bond makes a huge difference, too. Putting ionic bonds in water creates a hydration shield around them that greatly diminishes their coloumbic force. Ions in a vacuum have a different bond strength than ions in air, or any other medium. Ionic bond strengths can also change a lot based on whether or not the bond is part of a crystal structure. Etc., etc...

Basically, for the MCAT, you can usually go with the generalizations unless a passage thoroughly explains a particular exception it wants you to know about.

 

[shklorg]

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