CHEM 121 glossary
Melting point
The temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid. It depends on what must be overcome: weak intermolecular forces for a molecular solid, but ionic, metallic or covalent bonds for the other types of solid.
Example
Ice melts at 0 °C (only hydrogen bonds between molecules give way), while quartz, , melts near 1700 °C because Si–O covalent bonds must break.