Explain the following property of silicon(IV) oxide by referring to its structure and bonding:

         It is a crystalline solid.
 

Suggest, using ideas of structure and bonding, why:

             buckminsterfullerene, C₆₀, is relatively soft.

Four types of structure are:
 giant molecular
 giant ionic
 giant metallic
 simple molecular

Give two examples of a giant ionic structure and two examples of a simple molecular structure.               

Four types of structure are:
 giant molecular
 giant ionic
 giant metallic
 simple molecular

Explain why substances with giant ionic structures are often brittle, but metallic structures are malleable.   

Four types of structure are:
 giant molecular
 giant ionic
 giant metallic
 simple molecular

Explain why giant molecular structures have higher melting points than simple molecular structures. 

Four types of structure are:
 giant molecular
 giant ionic
 giant metallic
 simple molecular

Diamond and graphite are two forms of carbon with giant molecular structures. Explain why graphite conducts electricity but diamond does not.