Chemical Bonding

• What is a chemical bond?

  A chemical bond is the attractive force that holds atoms together within a molecule or compound.
• Why is chemical bonding important?

  It explains why atoms are attracted to each other and how products are formed after a chemical reaction.
• What are valence electrons?

  Valence electrons are electrons located in the orbitals of the outermost energy level of an element.
• How many valence electrons does sodium (Na) have?

  Sodium has 1 valence electron.
• What is a Lewis diagram?

  • A graphical presentation of elements and their valence electrons.
  • The symbol of the element is in the center, with valence electrons drawn as dots around it.
• What is the first step to draw Lewis diagrams for molecular compounds or ions?

  Count the number of valence electrons of the molecular compound or ion.
• What should you do if the molecule is an ion when counting valence electrons?

  Add or subtract the respective number of electrons based on whether it is an anion or cation.
• Why do we add an electron for anions?

  Anions have an overall negative charge, indicating they have gained an extra electron.
• Why do we subtract an electron for cations?

  Cations have an overall positive charge, indicating they are missing one electron.
• What is the octet rule?

  An element should have contact to eight valence electrons in a bond or exactly fill up its valence shell.
• Why are noble gases chemically inert?

  Noble gases are stable and do not need to transfer electrons when bonding with another atom.
• What are the exceptions to the octet rule?

  • Aluminum (Al)
  • Phosphorus (P)
  • Sulfur (S)
  • Xenon (Xe)
  • Hydrogen (H) and Helium (He) follow the duet rule.
• What is ionic bonding?

  Ionic bonding is the process of transferring electrons between two atoms, typically between metals and non-metals.
• What happens during ionic bonding?

  The ions are arranged in a way that shows uniformity and stability, characteristic of crystals and solids.
• What is covalent bonding?

  Covalent bonding is the process of sharing electrons between two atoms, typically between non-metals.
• Why are covalent bonds harder to break?

  Covalent bonds are harder to break because both atoms exert equal attraction on the shared electrons.
• What are the types of covalent bonds?

  • Single Bond: 2 bonded electrons
  • Double Bond: 4 bonded electrons
  • Triple Bond: 6 bonded electrons
• What is the strength order of covalent bonds?

  Triple bond < Double bond < Single bond
• What is polarity in chemical bonding?

  Polarity is the competing force between two atoms for the electrons.
• What is polar covalent bonding?

  Polar covalent bonding is the process of unequal sharing of electrons, where the more electronegative atom attracts the electrons more strongly.
• What is a nonpolar molecule?

  A nonpolar molecule is a bond between two identical atoms, such as H2 or O2.
• How can the type of bond in a molecule be determined?

  The type of bond can be determined by the difference in electronegativity values of the atoms.
• What are the ranges of electronegativity values for different types of bonds?

  • 0.0-0.3 = Nonpolar bond
  • 0.3-1.7 = Polar bond
  • 1.7 or more = Ionic bond
• What is nomenclature in chemistry?

  Nomenclature is the process of naming chemical compounds to easily identify them as separate chemicals.
• What are inorganic compounds?

  Inorganic compounds are compounds that do not deal with the formation of carbohydrates (carbon and hydrogen structures).
• What are the types of inorganic compounds?

  • Ionic compound: made up of metal and nonmetal
  • Molecular compound: also known as covalent compound
  • Monoatomic: Ion composed of a single atom
  • Oxyanion: Polyatomic anion composed of a central atom bonded to oxygen atoms
• What is the naming convention for ionic compounds?

  The compound name has an ending of –ide, with the cation named first and unchanged.
• Give an example of an ionic compound.

  NaCl (Sodium Chloride)
• What is a molecular compound?

  A molecular compound is also known as a covalent compound.
• What is a monoatomic ion?

  A monoatomic ion is composed of a single atom.
• What is an oxyanion?

  An oxyanion is a polyatomic anion composed of a central atom bonded to oxygen atoms.
• What is the formula for water?

  H2O
• What is the formula for carbon dioxide?

  CO2
• What is the naming convention for acids?

  Acids always have a hydrogen (H) in their formula.
• Give examples of acids.


  H2SO4, HF, HNO3
• What is the naming convention for bases?

  Bases always have a hydroxide ion (-OH) in their formula.
• Give examples of bases.


  KOH, Mg(OH)2
• What is the oxidation number?

  The oxidation number is the number of electrons that an atom loses, gains, or shares when it bonds with another atom.
• What are positive oxidation numbers?

  Positive oxidation numbers indicate elements that lose electrons in a chemical reaction or share electrons with another element deficient in electrons.
• What are negative oxidation numbers?

  Negative oxidation numbers indicate elements that gain electrons or are deficient in electrons.