The properties of a compound depend on the chemical bonds that hold its atoms together. Most ionic compound will be a solid at room temperature, have extremely high melting and boiling points, The rigid crystal network also makes them hard, brittle, and poor conductors of electricity; No moving electrical charges means no current will flow. They often dissolve easily in water, separating into positive ions and negative ions. The separated ions can move freely, so solutions of ionic compounds are good conductors of electricity. Covalent compounds have almost the exact opposite properties of ionic compounds. Since the atoms are organized as individual molecules, melting or boiling a covalent compound does not require breaking chemical bonds. Therefore, covalent compounds often melt and boil at lower temperatures than ionic compounds. Unlike ionic compounds, molecules stay together when dissolved in water, which means covalent compounds are poor conductors of electricity. Covalent bonds do not always form small individual molecules; Bonds can make the same element look different.