At ordinary temperature $\mathrm{CO}_{2}$ is a gas but silicon dioxide is a solid because\

Question

Professor PC Thomas Classes · Answer

At ordinary temperature $\mathrm{CO}_{2}$ is a gas because it exists as discrete molecules, in which carbon-oxygen bond is stabilised by strong $p_{\pi}-p_{\pi}$ bonds. But $\mathrm{SiO}_{2}$ forms giant molecules, in which each silicon atoms is tretrahedrally linked to four oxygen atoms and each oxygen atom is linked to two silicon atoms.