Why do covalent compounds have low melting points and boiling points?

Question

(a) Why do covalent compounds have low melting points and boiling points?
(b) How are carboxylic acids different from mineral acids from ionisation point of view?

Answer 1

(a) The molecules in covalent compounds are held by weak van der Waa s forces, hence they have low melting points and boiling points as compared to ionic compounds.
(b) Carboxylic acids (like CH₃COOH) ionise to a very small extent in solution and give very small amount of H⁺ ions. Thus, they are weak acids as compared to the mineral acids.