Atoms and Bonding

Valence electron

The electrons that are in the
highest energy level of an atom and that are
involved in chemical reactions

Chemical Bond

The force that holds atoms together

Ion

An atom or group of atoms that has become
electrically charged

Polyatomic ion

An ion that is made of more than
one atom

Ionic Bond

The attraction between oppositely charged
ions

Ionic Compound

A compound that consists of
positive and negative ions

Chemical Formula

A combination of symbols that
represents the elements in a compound and their
proportions

Subscript

A number in a chemical formula that tells
the number of atoms in a molecule

Covalent Bond

a bond formed when atoms share one or more pairs of electrons

Molecule

A neutral particle made of two or more
atoms joined by covalent bonds

Double Bond

A chemical bond formed when atoms
share two pairs of electrons

Triple Bond

A chemical bond formed when atoms
share three pairs of electrons

Molecular Compound

A compound that is composed
of molecules

Polar Bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are
shared unequally

Nonpolar Bond

A covalent bond in which electrons
are shared equally

Polar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond in which electrons are not shared equally

Nonpolar Covalent Bond

a covalent bond in which the electrons are shared equally by the two atoms

alloy

A mixture of two or more metals

malleable

easy to shape or bend

ductile

A term used to describe a material that can be pulled out into a long wire.

sea of electrons

a model for how the valence electrons of metal atoms are mobile and can drift from one part of a metal to another (allows for good conductivity)

valence electrons

Electrons on the outermost energy level of an atom