Academic Chemistry: Bonding Review

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering chemical bonding concepts, ionic and covalent properties, nomenclature, periodic trends, molecular geometry, and bond polarity.

Chemical Bond

A force that holds atoms together to form molecules, crystals, and other substances.

Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond where atoms in a molecule share electrons to hold each other together.

Ionic Bond

A type of chemical bond where a metal atom gives up electron(s) to another atom, forming a cation and an anion that are attracted to each other due to their opposite charges.

Cation

A positively charged particle that forms when an atom loses an electron; it can be a single charged atom or a group of atoms forming a polyatomic ion.

Anion

A negatively charged particle that forms when an atom gains an electron; it can be a single charged atom or a group of atoms forming a polyatomic ion.

Polyatomic Ion

A charged particle made up of more than one atom.

Subscript

A small number placed below and to the right of either an atom or a group of atoms that shows how many of that atom or group of atoms are present in the formula.

Superscript

A small number placed above and to the right of an atom or element symbol that, along with a $+$ or $-$, shows the charge on that atom or group of atoms.

Metal

A substance found to the left of the metalloids (except Hydrogen) on the periodic table; characterized as malleable, ductile, having high electrical and thermal conductivity, luster, high melting and boiling points, and forming positive ions (cations) by giving up electrons easily.

Nonmetal

A substance found to the right of the metalloids (except Hydrogen) on the periodic table; characterized as brittle, dull, nonreflective, poor conductors of heat and electricity, having low melting and boiling points, and forming negative ions (anions) by easily accepting electrons.

Molecular Formula

A chemical formula that specifies the exact type and number of atoms present in a covalent compound.

Unit Formula

The lowest ratio of atoms in an ionic compound, showing the relative numbers of atoms or representing the smallest unit of a non-molecular substance.

Valence Electrons

The electrons located in the outermost shell, or energy level, of an atom.

Lewis Dot Diagram

A diagram that shows a simplified structural model of an atom or compound using only its element symbols and valence electrons.

Octet Rule

The tendency of an atom to prefer having $8$ electrons in its valence shell to achieve the configuration of a noble gas, with Helium being an exception whose first shell is full with $2$ electrons.

VSEPR Model

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion; a model used to predict molecular geometry by minimizing the electrostatic repulsion of a molecule's valence electron pairs around a central atom.

Nonpolar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared equally between two atoms.

Polar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared unequally between atoms, producing a dipole where one end is slightly more negative and the other end is slightly more positive.

Roman Numerals (in Ionic Naming)

Numerals used exclusively in naming ionic compounds containing metals that can take more than one charge, indicating the specific charge on the metal cation.

Tetrahedral

A molecular shape characterized by a bond angle of $109.5^\circ$.

Trigonal Planar

A molecular shape characterized by a bond angle of $120^\circ$.

Linear

A molecular shape characterized by a bond angle of $180^\circ$.

Trigonal Pyramidal

A molecular shape characterized by a bond angle of $<109.5^\circ$ (approximately $107^\circ$).

Bent

A molecular shape characterized by a bond angle of $<107^\circ$ ($105^\circ$).

Diatomic Molecules

Seven molecules formed naturally through covalent bonding: $H_2$, $N_2$, $O_2$, $F_2$, $Cl_2$, $Br_2$, and $I_2$.