Salt is both strong and brittle. These properties relate to its atomic bonds. Examine a toothpick and try to bend it. Then imagine hitting the end of an upright toothpick with a hammer. Is a toothpick a good model for showing the strength and brittleness of salt? Explain your answer

Yes, the toothpick is a good model for showing the brittleness of salt.

Explanation: If you hit a toothpick on the end while it is upright it would splinter and break into several other pieces. The salt would to the same thing under pressure, it breaks into smaller, thinner pieces

vanderwaal's forces of attraction are the electrostatic intermolecular forces that exist in a molecule due to the temporary or permanent dipoles that are developed in a molecule. in , the major intermolecular forces are dipole-dipole interactions as the molecule is polar (bent structure). so the vanderwaal's forces of interaction in between molecules are the permanent dipole-dipole interactions that develop due to the dipole that exists in between the polar h - s bond. the positively charged hydrogen atom is attracted towards the negative end of the dipole that is sulfur of the adjacent molecule. therefore, these forces of attraction are relatively stronger than that of london dispersion forces that exist in non polar molecules.