Question

Which best describes most covalent compounds?

resilient
brittle
cold
warm

Answer 1

Most covalent compounds are best described as **brittle**. While many covalent compounds can exist as soft solids or liquids, when they are in solid form, they often have a brittle nature due to the directional nature of the covalent bonds. When stress is applied to a covalent compound, rather than deforming, it tends to break. This contrasts with metals, which are typically more resilient due to metallic bonding.