When olive oil is cooled, it slowly solidifies and forms a solid over a range of temperatures. This behavior is best described by the term amorphous.
An amorphous solid lacks a long-range ordered structure, meaning its molecules are not arranged in a regular, repeating pattern. Instead, the molecules are arranged randomly. This is why olive oil doesn’t have a sharp melting point but rather solidifies over a range of temperatures.
In contrast:
- Ionic solids are composed of positively and negatively charged ions held together by electrostatic forces.
- Covalent network solids consist of atoms connected by covalent bonds in a continuous network.
- Metallic solids are made up of metal atoms held together by metallic bonds.
None of these descriptions fit the behavior of olive oil when it solidifies. Therefore, the correct answer is d) amorphous.