Potassium iodide can be prepared by the reaction of potassium metal with iodine.
The table below shows some properties of potassium, iodine, and potassium iodide.
| Substance | Relative melting point | Electrical conductivity when solid | Electrical conductivity when molten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium | High | Good | Good |
| Iodine | Low | Poor | Poor |
| Potassium iodide | High | Poor | Good |
Explain, in terms of bonding and structure, why the properties of the product, potassium iodide, are different from the properties of the reactants, potassium and iodine.
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.