Chemistry: The Molecular Science (5th Edition)

Published by Cengage Learning
ISBN 10: 1285199049
ISBN 13: 978-1-28519-904-7

Chapter 2 - Chemical Compounds - Questions for Review and Thought - Topical Questions - Page 90c: 48

Answer

Coulomb's law explains this.

Work Step by Step

According to Coulomb's law, greater charges leads to a greater attraction. Since Mg has a charge of 2+ while Na only has a charge of 1+, the attraction in MgO is much stronger, meaning that more energy is needed to break it.
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