Chemical Bonds Lecture Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering different types of chemical bonds and related concepts from the lecture notes.

Covalent Bond

A bond formed by two atoms that share one or more pairs of electrons. Covalent bonds are the most common type of chemical bond in organisms and are responsible for holding together the atoms of most molecules in organisms.

Single bond

The sharing of a single pair of electrons between two atoms.

Double bond

The sharing of two pairs of electrons between two atoms.

Triple bond

The sharing of three pairs of electrons between two atoms.

Electronegativity

The tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself when it forms a chemical bond with another atom; a measure of how strongly an atom attracts the shared electrons in a chemical bond.

Ions

Charged atoms that have gained or lost electrons.

Cations

Atoms that lose electrons and become positively charged ions.

Anions

Atoms that gain electrons and become negatively charged ions.

Nonpolar covalent bond

A bond where electrons are shared equally between two atoms, resulting in no charges on atoms.

Polar covalent bond

A bond where bonding electrons are shared unequally between two atoms, resulting in partial charges on atoms.

Ionic Bond

An attraction between ions of opposite charge that holds them together to form a stable molecule. Weaker ionic bonds are important in biochemical reactions such as antigen–antibody reactions.

Hydrogen Bond

A relatively weak bond in which a hydrogen atom that is covalently bonded to one oxygen or nitrogen atom is attracted to another oxygen or nitrogen atom. Hydrogen bonds do not bind atoms into molecules, but serve as bridges between different molecules or different portions of the same molecule, for example, within proteins and nucleic acids.

Van der Waals Bonds

Weak attractive forces between molecules, effective at very close range, caused by the constant movement of electrons creating 'hot pockets' of positive and negative forces.