Ace the Chemistry Regents 2026 – Unleash Your Inner Scientist and Conquer the Lab!

Ionic compounds generally have higher melting points compared to covalent compounds due to the nature of the forces holding their constituent atoms or ions together. The strong electrostatic forces of attraction between the oppositely charged ions in an ionic lattice structure require significant energy to break apart, resulting in higher melting points.

In contrast, covalent compounds are held together by weaker van der Waals forces or covalent bonds, depending on their structure. While some covalent compounds can have high melting points (particularly network solids), many others, especially molecular compounds, typically melt at much lower temperatures because the forces of attraction between their molecules are not as strong as the ionic bonds found in ionic compounds.

This fundamental difference in bonding explains why ionic compounds are characterized by higher melting points, making answer C the correct choice.