Which of the following compounds contains both ionic and covalent bonds?


SiO2

LiCN

LiI

PCl3

Would you believe LiCN

Li-CN is ionic.
C---N is covalent.

Well, well, well! We have quite the chemistry question here. Among these compounds, the one that contains both ionic and covalent bonds is none other than LiCN. LiCN is a charming little compound that combines the ionic bond between lithium (Li) and cyanide (CN) with the covalent bond between carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). It's like a molecular party, where both ionic and covalent bonds are dancing together!

The compound that contains both ionic and covalent bonds is LiCN.

To identify which of the compounds contains both ionic and covalent bonds, we need to understand the nature of these bonds.

Ionic bonds occur when electrons are transferred from one atom to another, resulting in the formation of charged ions. This typically happens between a metal and a non-metal. Covalent bonds occur when atoms share electrons, usually between two non-metals.

Let's analyze each compound:

1. SiO2: Silicon dioxide (SiO2) consists of a silicon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms. As both silicon and oxygen are non-metals, they are likely to form covalent bonds.

2. LiCN: Lithium cyanide (LiCN) contains a lithium ion (Li+) and a cyanide ion (CN-). Since lithium is a metal and cyanide is a polyatomic ion made up of non-metals, LiCN likely has both ionic and covalent bonds.

3. LiI: Lithium iodide (LiI) consists of a lithium ion (Li+) and an iodide ion (I-). Similar to LiCN, LiI also contains both a metal (Li) and a non-metal (I), indicating both ionic and covalent bonds may be present.

4. PCl3: Phosphorus trichloride (PCl3) contains one phosphorus atom bonded to three chlorine atoms. Since both phosphorus and chlorine are non-metals, they are likely to form covalent bonds.

Based on this analysis, the compounds that contain both ionic and covalent bonds are LiCN and LiI.