Chemical Bonding and Properties of Atoms

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental concepts related to chemical bonding, atomic structure, and properties of ions.

Potential Energy

Energy stored in a system, in this context, it's related to the position of electrons in a chemical bond.

Kinetic Energy

The energy of motion, which may increase when chemical bonds are broken.

Cation

A positively charged ion formed when an atom loses electrons.

Ionic Bond

A type of bond formed through the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, resulting in attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Covalent Bond

A bond that involves the sharing of electrons between two atoms.

Stable Configuration

An arrangement of eight valence electrons that leads to chemical stability, often referred to as an octet.

Electronegativity

A measure of the tendency of an atom to attract a bonding pair of electrons.

Ionic Compound

A compound formed through ionic bonds, typically composed of metals and nonmetals.

Lewis Structure

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

Octet Rule

The principle that atoms tend to combine in such a way that they have eight electrons in their valence shell.

Triple Bond

A type of bond in which three pairs of electrons are shared between two atoms.

Stable Atom

An atom that has its outer energy levels filled completely, which generally means it doesn’t readily undergo chemical reactions.

Molecular Compound

A compound that is formed by the covalent bonding of two or more nonmetal atoms.

Physical Properties

Characteristics of a substance that can be observed without changing the substance into another substance.

Chemical Properties

Properties that become evident during or after a chemical reaction; they describe the potential of a substance to undergo a chemical change.

Conductivity

The ability of a substance to conduct electricity, which in metals results from the movement of electrons.

Ionic Charge

The charge that an ion carries, which can be positive (cation) or negative (anion).

Polar Covalent Bond

A type of covalent bond where the electrons are not shared equally between the atoms due to a difference in electronegativity.

Nonpolar Covalent Bond

A type of covalent bond in which the electrons are shared equally, resulting in no charge separation.

Valence Electrons

The electrons in the outermost shell of an atom, which are involved in forming bonds.

Metallic Bond

A type of bond that occurs between metal atoms, characterized by a sea of delocalized electrons.