Chapter 5 - Advanced Theories of Bonding

These flashcards cover key concepts and terminology related to the advanced theories of bonding, including Lewis structures, VSEPR theory, bond types, and molecular orbital theory.

Lewis Dot Structures

Diagrams that represent the valence electrons of an atom as dots.

Octet Rule

A chemical rule stating that atoms tend to bond in such a way that they have eight electrons in their valence shell.

VSEPR Theory

A method used to predict the geometry of individual molecules from the number of electron pairs surrounding their central atoms.

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR)

The idea that electron pairs around a central atom will orient themselves as far apart as possible.

σ Bond

A type of covalent bond formed by the head-on overlap of atomic orbitals.

π Bond

A covalent bond formed by the side-to-side overlap of p orbitals.

Hybridization

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

Bond Order

A measure of the strength of a bond, calculated as one half of the difference between the number of bonding and antibonding electrons.

Paramagnetism

The property of a substance that is attracted by a magnetic field due to unpaired electrons.

Diamagnetism

The property of a substance that is not attracted to a magnetic field due to all electrons being paired.

Molecular Orbital Theory

A method for describing the electronic structure of molecules in which atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals that span the entire molecule.

Constructive Interference

A phenomenon in molecular orbital theory where atomic orbitals combine to form a lower energy bonding molecular orbital.

Destructive Interference

A phenomenon in molecular orbital theory where atomic orbitals combine to form a higher energy antibonding molecular orbital.

Bond Length

The average distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms.

Bond Strength

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