polymers and giant covalent structures

• polymerisation is when lots of monomers join together to form a large molecule called a polymer
• atoms in polymers are held together by strong covalent bonds, so they are very stable
• the intermolecular forces between polymer molecules are stronger than simple covalent molecules so more energy is needed
• most polymers are solid at room temp due to lots of energy needed to break them down
• intermolecular forces are still weaker than ionic or covalent bonds so they have lower boiling points than ionic or giant molecular compounds
• in giant covalent structures, atoms are bonded with strong covalent bonds
• giant covalent structures have high melting and boiling points so lots of energy is needed to break the covalent bonds between atoms
• giant covalent structures dont contain charged particles so they do not conduct electricity
• in diamond, each carbon atoms forms four covalent bonds ina rigid giant covalent structure
• in graphite, each carbon atom forms 3 covalent bonds to create layers of hexagons
• in graphite, each carbon atom has one delocalised electron
• silicon dioxide is the main component of sand and each grain of sand is one giant structure of silicon and oxygen