Chapter 2 - Chemical Bonding and Lewis Structures

bond order

the number of bond pairs between two atoms

bond length

distance between the two nuclei participating in the bond

bond dissociation energy

how much energy is needed to separate two bonded atoms

homonuclear diatomic molecule

electrons are shared equally between the atoms

heteronuclear diatomic molecule

electrons are not shared equally between atoms

isolable

can be isolated from condensed phases because they are neutral

free radicals

species that contain unpaired electrons

formal charge

imagining bonding electrons are shared exactly equally

oxidation state

bonding electrons are “given" to the more electronegative atom

percent ionic character

measure of how much a bond acts like an ionic bond rather than a covalent bond

isoelectronic

same number of electrons

isovalent

same number of valence electrons