What is the difference between Ionic and Molecular Compound?

The main difference between ionic and molecular compounds is that the ionic compounds have electrostatic attraction forces between cations and anions. In contrast, the molecular compounds have only one covalent chemical bond. Chemical elements can become attached and form chemical compounds. The elements bind together through chemical bonds that have ionic bonds. Ionic compounds are the chemical component that has cations and anions that bind each other through ionic bonding. Molecular compounds are chemical compounds including atoms bonded together by covalent chemical bonds. These compounds take shape when atoms share their unpaired electrons. The ionic compounds are hard and fragile, while the molecular compounds are soft and malleable. This state is because the atoms of ionic compounds are held together tightly by ionic bonds, while in molecular compounds, atoms are linked to each other comparatively loosely.

Molecular compounds refer to atoms that are linked together by the sharing of electrons. They are bound together in molecules, which are electrically neutral particles. There are some molecular compounds that are very simple, such as the diatomic molecules, and a good example of this is Carbon monoxide (CO). Molecular compounds can be referred to as molecules. There can be a lot of atoms in existing molecular compounds. The force binding atoms together in molecular compounds are referred to as a covalent bond. They have low boiling and melting points and cannot conduct electricity. On the other hand, you can obtain an ionic compound when there is a bond between metals and non-metals. Ionic compounds are generally known to have high boiling and melting points and are held together by electrical attraction. They are typically solids in form of crystals and can conduct electricity when in their aqueous or molten state. An example of this compound is the common salt (NaCl).

When you say molecular compounds, you are also referring to covalent compounds. This happens when there are different elements that share covalent bonds so that molecules can be formed. Molecular compounds come with a neutral charge. Ionic compounds normally form when there are metals that will react with nonmetals. Covalent compounds normally form when there are two nonmetals that react to each other. One example of a covalent compound is methane which is CH4. This means that Carbon has reacted with Helium. These two elements are both parts of the nonmetal group. You can also tell if a compound is molecular or ionic based on the given formula.