State the reason why covalent compounds are generally poor conductors of electricity.

A substance is a good conductor of electricity if it contains free electrons, so that its free flow would constitute an electric current. Covalent compounds are formed by the mutual sharing of electrons among atoms. In general, there are no free electrons in the compound which contribute to the conductivity, as the shared electrons are bound and attracted by the atoms. Therefore, covalent compounds are poor conductors of electricity.


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