Chemistry - Unit 4 - Vocabulary

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What is a covalent bond?

A bond formed when two atoms share electrons.

What characterizes an ionic bond?

An ionic bond is formed when one atom transfers electrons to another atom.

What does bond energy refer to?

The amount of energy required to break a bond between two atoms.

What is a polar covalent bond?

A covalent bond in which electrons are shared unequally between atoms, leading to a charge separation.

What is a nonpolar covalent bond?

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

What is resonance in chemistry?

The concept that describes the delocalization of electrons in molecules that can be represented by two or more valid Lewis structures.

What is a lone pair?

A pair of valence electrons that are not shared with another atom.

What is a Lewis structure?

A diagram that shows the bonding between atoms of a molecule and the lone pairs of electrons.

What is the duet rule?

The principle that states that atoms such as hydrogen and helium are stable with two electrons in their outer shell.

What is the octet rule?

The rule that atoms tend to form bonds in order to have eight electrons in their valence shell.

What is a dipole?

A separation of positive and negative charges in a molecule.

What does hybridization involve?

The mixing of atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals for bonding.

What are diatomic elements?

Elements that naturally exist as molecules consisting of two atoms.

What is bond length?

The average distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms.

What defines a single bond?

A chemical bond where two atoms share one pair of electrons.

What is a double bond?

A chemical bond involving the sharing of two pairs of electrons between two atoms.

What is a triple bond?

A chemical bond involving the sharing of three pairs of electrons between two atoms.

What is electronegativity?

The ability of an atom to attract electrons in a covalent bond.

What is VSEPR theory?

A model used to predict the geometry of molecules based on the repulsion between electron pairs.

What does linear molecular geometry imply?

A molecular shape where atoms are arranged in a straight line.

What does bent molecular geometry refer to?

A molecular shape where two atoms are bonded to a central atom at an angle.

What is trigonal planar molecular geometry?

A molecular shape where three atoms are bonded to a central atom in a flat triangle.

What characterizes tetrahedral molecular geometry?

A molecular shape where four atoms are arranged around a central atom in three-dimensional space.

What is trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry?

A molecular shape with three bonded atoms and one lone pair around a central atom, forming a pyramid.

What is trigonal bipyramidal geometry?

A molecular shape with five atoms bonded to a central atom, two in axial position and three in equatorial position.

What is octahedral geometry?

A molecular shape with six atoms bonded to a central atom.

What is see-saw molecular geometry?

A molecular shape that results from trigonal bipyramidal geometry with one atom removed from the equatorial position.

What is square planar geometry?

A molecular shape with four atoms bonded to a central atom in a square arrangement.

What is square pyramidal geometry?

A molecular shape with five atoms bonded to a central atom, similar to a pyramid with a square base.

What does T-shaped molecular geometry describe?

A molecular shape with three bonded atoms and two lone pairs around a central atom, resembling the letter T.