Refractory linings in industrial furnaces must withstand extremely high temperatures. Magnesium oxide (MgO\text{MgO}MgO) is commonly used for this purpose.
Explain, in terms of its structure and bonding, why magnesium oxide has a very high melting point.
59 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 2.5 Types of substance, covering 2.5.1 Classifying substances by structure and bonding, 2.5.2 Properties of ionic and simple molecular substances, 2.5.3 Giant covalent structures: diamond and graphite, 2.5.4 Fullerenes, graphene and simple polymers, 2.5.5 Properties of metals and non-metals, and 2.5.6 Limitations of bonding models and representations. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.