 When such crystals are melted into liquids, the ionic bonds are broken first because they are non-directional and allow the charged species to move freely.Similarly, when such salts dissolve into water, the ionic bonds are typically broken by the interaction with water but the covalent bonds continue to hold.For example, in solution, the cyanide ions, still bound together as single CN− ions, move independently through the solution, as do sodium ions, as Na+.