A solid substance with high melting and boiling points is likely to be a/an

A solid substance with high melting and boiling points is likely to be an electrovalent compound. Electrovalent compounds (also known as ionic compounds) are formed by the transfer of electrons between a metal and a non-metal, resulting in the formation of a lattice structure held together by strong electrostatic forces between positively and negatively charged ions. These strong intermolecular forces make it difficult to break the lattice structure, leading to high melting and boiling points. Covalent compounds, on the other hand, typically have weaker intermolecular forces, resulting in lower melting and boiling points. Dative covalent compounds are a type of covalent compound where both electrons in a shared pair are donated by one atom, and non-metals are a broad category of elements that can form both covalent and electrovalent compounds.