Would a substance that is shiny, does not dissolve in water, does not melt under a bunsen flame, and does not conduct as a solid have a covalent, ionic, or metallic bond?
To determine the type of bond that a substance has based on its properties, we can analyze each property individually.
1. Shiny: A shiny substance indicates that it is a good conductor of electricity. This property eliminates the possibility of the substance having a covalent bond since covalent compounds generally do not conduct electricity.
2. Does not dissolve in water: This property eliminates the possibility of an ionic bond since ionic compounds tend to dissolve in water due to their ability to dissociate into ions.
3. Does not melt under a Bunsen flame: Implying that the substance does not melt indicates that it has a high melting point. This characteristic is commonly associated with compounds that have metallic bonds.
4. Does not conduct as a solid: A solid substance that does not conduct electricity suggests that it does not have metallic bonds since metallic bonds typically have high electrical conductivity in the solid state.
Given these properties, the substance is most likely to have a covalent bond, since it is not ionic, metallic, or capable of conducting electricity. Covalent bonds involve the sharing of electrons between atoms, resulting in a lack of electrical conductivity and relatively high melting points.