Chemical Bonding and Periodic Trends

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the fundamental concepts of chemical bonding, periodic trends such as electronegativity and ionization energy, and the characteristics of ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds.

Ore

Natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals.

Alloy

An admixture of metals, or a metal combined with one or more other elements.

Mercury (quicksilver)

The only metal that is not a solid in its pure form.

Noble gases

The only elements that are never found in combination with other elements and have not been assigned electronegativities.

Octet

A full outer energy level created when atoms gain, lose, or share electrons.

Valence electrons

The electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom and the only electrons involved in chemical bonding.

Electronegativity

The relative measure of the ability of an atom to attract electrons in a chemical bond.

Ionization energy

The energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom.

Electron affinity

The energy change when a neutral atom attracts an electron to become a negative ion.

Francium

The most reactive metal, possessing the lowest electronegativity value of $0.7$.

Fluorine

The most reactive non-metal, possessing the highest electronegativity value of $4.0$.

Intramolecular bonds

Strong bonds formed within a molecule, including ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds.

Ionic bonds

Bonds formed between a metal and a non-metal by electron transfer, resulting in an electrostatic attraction.

Covalent bonds

Bonds formed between non-metallic atoms by sharing electrons to obtain a full valence shell.

Nonpolar covalent bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared equally between two non-metallic atoms with an electronegativity difference of $0$.

Polar covalent bond

A covalent bond between two non-metallic atoms where electrons are shared unequally, usually with an electronegativity difference between $0$ and $1.7$.

$\Delta EN$ (Difference in Electronegativity)

The value calculated by subtracting the electronegativity of one atom from the electronegativity of another to determine bond type.

Delta positive ($\delta+$)

The partial charge assigned to the atom in a polar covalent bond with the lower electronegativity value.

Delta negative ($\delta-$)

The partial charge assigned to the atom in a polar covalent bond with the higher electronegativity value.

Bond dipole

A vector (arrow) that points towards the atom with the higher electronegativity value, showing the attraction of electrons in a covalent bond.

Metallic bonding

A type of bonding where valence electrons are so loosely held they move freely, creating positive ions surrounded by a sea of mobile electrons.