why are covalent compounds poor conductors of electricity?
Hi Visalakshi!
The electrons in the outermost shell of the covalent compounds are shared by the nearby atoms. As there are no free electrons (only at absolute zero) for conducting electricity, the covalent compounds are perfect insulators at absolute zero. As the temperature increases, some electrons move from valence band to conduction band. This gives rise to the conductivity. But, as the number of charge carriers are very low, covalent compounds are poor conductors.
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