Introduction to Chemical Bonds and Molecular Structure

Vocabulary flashcards covering chemical bonding concepts including covalent, ionic, and hydrogen bonds, atomic structure, electronegativity, and molecular models.

Molecular formula

A representation of a molecule that shows the number and ratio of the different atoms present in the molecule.

Structural formula

A representation of a molecule that shows the covalent bond or bonds between atoms using lines.

Lewis dot structure

A diagrammatic representation of a molecule that shows all of the valence electrons.

Molecule

A substance made up of two or more atoms connected together by one or more covalent bonds.

Single covalent bond

A bond formed when two neighboring atoms share one pair of valence electrons, or two total valence electrons.

Double covalent bond

A bond formed when two neighboring atoms share two pairs of valence electrons, or four total valence electrons.

Inner shell

The electron shell closest to the atomic nucleus, also known as the first shell.

Valence shell

The outermost electron shell of an atom.

Space filling model

A 3D molecular representation where each atom is shown as a colored ball.

Valence

An atom's bonding capacity, defined by the number of potential covalent bonds it can form with neighboring atoms to fill its valence shell.

Chemically inert

The condition of an atom that has a full valence shell, making it chemically stable and unlikely to react with other atoms.

Noble gases

Elements located in the rightmost column of the periodic table that possess a full valence shell and are chemically inert.

Compound

A combination of two or more different elements in a fixed ratio whose atoms are connected by chemical bonds.

Electronegativity

An atom's ability to attract shared electrons in a covalent bond and pull them toward itself.

Nonpolar covalent bond

A covalent bond in which two atoms share electrons equally because they have the same or similar electronegativity.

Polar covalent bond

A covalent bond in which two atoms share electrons unequally because one atom is significantly more electronegative than the other.

Ion

A charged atom or molecule that carries a full positive or full negative charge.

Cation

A type of ion that carries a full positive charge.

Anion

A type of ion that carries a full negative charge.

Ionic bond

A chemical bond resulting from the attraction between oppositely charged ions (a cation and an anion).

Ionic compound

Also known as a salt, a compound held together by ionic bonds rather than covalent bonds.

Hydrogen bond

A weak interaction occurring when a partially positively charged hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom is attracted to a second electronegative atom.