Why are covalent compounds generally poor conductors of electricity?

Covalent compounds are generally poor conductors of electricity primarily because they lack mobile charge carriers. In a covalent bond, atoms share electrons rather than transferring them completely as seen in ionic compounds or metals. This shared nature means that there are no free ions or electrons that can move freely in the structure to conduct electricity.

In contrast to ionic compounds, where the movement of ions facilitates electrical conductivity, covalent compounds do not form ions in solution (unless they react to form ions). Consequently, without these mobile charge carriers, covalent compounds remain insulators.

The other options relate to different types of bonding or characteristics that do not apply to the electrical conductivity of covalent compounds. For example, the mention of strong metallic bonds pertains to metallic compounds, which do have free-moving electrons, allowing them to conduct electricity well.