What is the internal energy of an ideal gas at room tempature?

Why oxygen is a gas at room tempature and sodium chloride is a solid?

• Chemisty

• Answer:

  It has to to with the chemical bonding Sodium Chloride = ionic compound Ionic bonding: the electrons are completely transfered from one atom to another. In the process of loosing or gaining negatively charged electrons the reacting atoms form ions. The oppositely charged ions are attracted to each other by electrostatic forces, the become arranged in an alternating fashion, (very organized and they don't move). Forces between molecules are comparable to the forces within the molecule. So the concept of a single molecule becomes blurred in ionic compounds and crystals form because the solid exists as one continuous system. This is usually when a metal bonds to a nonmetal (sodium metal + chlorine gas), you get ionic compounds that tend to form crystal solids with high melting points. Oxygen = covalent compound Covalent Bonding: this is when two (or more) elements share electrons. Covalent bonding occurs because the atoms in the compound have a similar tendency for electrons, so these atoms will share electrons to fill their valence sheilds (you know the preferred 8 electrons). Because the electrons are shared, no full ionic charges are formed. As a result the covalent molecules are not strongly attracted to each other and free to move about. So these types of compounds will exist as liquids or gases at room temperature. This usually happens between two nonmetals bond together ***Now get ready for polar and nonpolar covalent bonding....A ha ha ha ha ha ha. Okay, just kidding, I do have to say my Organic Chemistry Professer was awesome, made me love this stuff.