Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

Vocabulary flashcards covering the introductory concepts of chemical bonding, reasons for bond formation, the octet rule, and the duplet rule.

Chemical bond

A force of attraction that holds two or more atoms together in a molecule or compound (e.g., two hydrogen atoms held together in $H_2$).

Octet Rule

A principle proposed by Kossel and Lewis in $1916$ stating that atoms participate in chemical bonding to attain an electronic configuration similar to a noble gas, having $8$ electrons in their outermost shell.

Duplet

An electronic configuration with $2$ electrons in the outermost shell, achieved by elements such as $H$, $Li$, and $Be$.

Stable electronic configuration

An electron arrangement similar to a noble gas that atoms tend to achieve by bonding with other atoms because they are not stable alone.