Chemical Bonding

chemical family

a vertical column in the periodic table of elements

covalent bond

a chemical bond in which atoms share a pair of valence electrons

dipole

a molecule containing two “poles”, or regions of opposite charge

dipole-dipole force

an intermolecular force of attraction between two polar molecules

dipole-induced dipole force

an intermolecular force of attraction that occurs when a polar molecule induces polarity in a nonpolar molecule

electronegativity

a measure of how strongly one atom attracts a shared pair of electrons; electronegativity values range from 0.7 to 4.0, and are unitless

intermolecular force

(IMFs)/van der Waals forces: a force of attraction between molecules

ion

an electrically charged atom that has gained or lost one or more electrons

ionic bond

a bond formed by the attraction between two oppositely charged ions

ionization energy

the energy required to remove a valence electron from an atom

lewis structure

a diagram that shows the bonding between atoms in a molecule and the distribution of valence electrons around each atom

london dispersion force (LDF)

an intermolecular force of attraction that occurs when a temporary dipole of one atom induces polarity in a neighboring atom

metal

an element that is malleable and usually conducts heat and electricity well

molecule

a group of two or more atoms joined by covalent chemical bonds

nonpolar

having an overall even distribution of positive and negative charges

nonpolar covalent bond

a covalent bond characterized by equal sharing of electrons

noble gases

a group of chemical elements that have full outer shells

nonmetal

an element that is generally a poor conductor of heat and electricity

octet rule

a general guideline that states that atoms are most stable when surrounded by eight valence electrons

partial charge

a charge with an absolute value of less than 1 in regions of polar molecules created by unequal sharing of electron pairs in covalent bonds

polar

having distinct regions of positive and negative charge

polar covalent bond

a covalent bond characterized by unequal sharing of electrons

shell

a particular region where electrons can orbit the nucleus of an atom

valence electron

an electron in the outermost shell of an atom

VSEPR theory

“Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory” bonding pairs of electrons and lone pairs (nonbonding electrons) of valence electrons repel each other and push each other as far away as possible to minimize the electrostatic repulsion between them

linear

all atoms are in a straight line; 2 bonded pairs (usually), 0 nonbonded pairs; 180 degree bond angle

trigonal planar

these atoms are in the same plane (flat) and make a trinagle shape;3 bonded pairs, 0 nonbonded pairs; 120 degree bond angle

tetrahedral

the three atoms toward the bottom spread out like the legs of a tripod; 4 bonded pairs, 0 nonbonded pairs; 109.5 degree bond angle

trigonal pyramidal

the three attached atoms make a triangle base of a pyramid with the central atom on top; 3 bonded pairs, 1 nonbonded pair; 107 degree bond angle

bent

the three attached atoms make a wide 7 or L shape; 2 bonded pairs, 2 nonbonded pairs; 104.5 degree bond angle