Are the bonds between the silicate ions and the oxgen ions, covalant bonds because of the shared electrons or an ionic bond because it is an eletrical attraction?

-- Cindy Crane (weare2nuts@aol.com), February 06, 2001

Answers

on page 38 in our text it says that "the basic building block of all silicate mineral structures is the silicate ion, formed by four oxygen ions surrounding and sharing electrons with a silicon ion." Covalent bonds do not gain or lose electrons, they share electrons to form a compound. Ionic bonds are sttracted to one another because of their opposite charge. Therefore I would say the answer would be covalent bonds.

-- Sandra Feocco (DOMINICK F @ Prodigy.NET), February 07, 2001.

They are convalant bonds if the difference of the electronedativity is <1.7

-- Jonathan David Leete (Leetjdj@hotmail.com), February 27, 2002.

the difference betweeen the covalant compound and ionic compound is the the ionic have the high melting point and covalant have the low boiling point

-- chirag k patel (chambaldakoo@hotmail.com), October 11, 2002.

I believe that jonno guy is correct.

-- Luke Richter (Zorg@hotmail.com), September 07, 2003.

Look,

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-- Ben Mandrew (ben_Hay@Jeffs.com), September 07, 2003.