if a substance is covalent, then it likely will

If a substance is covalent, then it likely will have lower melting and boiling points compared to ionic substances with similar molecular mass, may exist as a solid, liquid, or gas at room temperature, and generally will not conduct electricity in pure form or when dissolved in water. This is because covalent substances consist of discrete molecules held together by covalent bonds, with intermolecular forces that are usually much weaker than ionic bonds. Additionally, covalent substances often have directional bonds formed by shared pairs of electrons between atoms, most commonly nonmetals.