How do the melting points of covalent compounds compare with those of ionic compounds?

1. Covalent compounds are made of molecules that are electrically neutral overall. 2. The attraction between neutral molecules is far weaker than the attraction between full charges on ions. 3. So far less heat is needed to pull the molecules apart, and the melting and boiling points come out low. 4. Many covalent compounds are therefore liquids or gases at room temperature, while ionic solids are not. _Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 7 "Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry", section 7.2 Covalent Bonding_