Covalent Bonding and Lewis Dot Diagrams

Vocabulary terms and structural rules for covalent bonding, family bond counts, and Lewis dot diagram construction based on the lecture notes.

Covalent Bonding

A type of bonding between nonmetal atoms where they share a pair of electrons stuck between them in order to achieve an octet.

Tug-of-war

An analogy for covalent bonding where both nonmetal atoms try to take each other's unpaired electrons but neither side gives them up, resulting in a stalemate.

Di-

A prefix meaning $2$, used in the context of molecular nonmetals that have $2$ identical atoms bonded together.

Diatomic Nonmetals

Molecules consisting of two identical atoms that cannot remain independent; examples include $H_2$, $N_2$, $O_2$, $F_2$, $Cl_2$, $Br_2$, and $I_2$.

Bond

A line drawn between two atoms in a Lewis dot diagram representing $1$ pair of shared valence electrons ($ve^-$).

Double Bond

A covalent connection formed when atoms share $2$ pairs of electrons ($4$ total valence electrons).

Triple Bond

A covalent connection formed when atoms share $3$ pairs of electrons (Love).

Hydrogen and Halogens (Family 17)

Atoms in these categories want $1$ bond each to achieve a stable configuration.

Oxygen Family (Family 16)

Atoms in this family want $2$ bonds each.

Nitrogen Family (Family 15)

Atoms in this family want $3$ bonds each.

Carbon Family (Family 14)

Atoms in this family want $4$ bonds each.

Subscript

The tiny number in a chemical formula that tells you if there is more than $1$ atom of the element immediately preceding it.

Central Atom Selection

The practice of placing the symbol for the atom that wants the most bonds (e.g., Carbon wanting $4$ vs Oxygen wanting $2$) in the middle of the diagram.

Octet (Covalent Satisfaction)

The final step in a Lewis dot diagram ensuring every atom has $8$ valence electrons, where each bond/line counts as $2$ shared electrons ($ve$).