Week 6 Intermolecular Forces and Polarity

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to intermolecular forces and molecular polarity to help in understanding concepts for the upcoming exam.

Hydrogen bonding

An attractive force that holds together polar molecules with hydrogen atoms bonded to oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine.

Dipole-dipole attraction

The interaction between polar molecules where the partial positive side of one molecule attracts the partial negative side of another.

Dispersion forces

Weak intermolecular forces arising from temporary dipoles in nonpolar molecules.

Electronegativity

A measure of how strongly an atom attracts shared electrons in a chemical bond.

Polar molecule

A molecule with a distribution of charge leading one end to be more negatively charged than the other.

Nonpolar molecule

A molecule where neither end has a negative charge, resulting in no overall dipole.

VSEPR Theory

A model used to predict the geometry of individual molecules based on the repulsion between electron pairs.

Partial charges

Charges that develop in covalent bonds due to an unequal distribution of electrons.

Dipole

A polar covalent bond that exhibits a separation of charges.

Ionic bond

A chemical bond formed through the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Network solids

Solids in which atoms are bonded by covalent bonds in a continuous network, forming a giant molecule.

Metallic bonding

A type of bonding in metals characterized by a 'sea of electrons' that allows for conductivity.

Intermolecular forces

Forces that hold molecules together in liquids or solids, generally weaker than ionic or covalent bonds.

Crystal lattice

A three-dimensional arrangement of ions in a regular repeating pattern in ionic compounds.

Asymmetric Shapes

Molecular shapes like bent and trigonal pyramidal that lead to polar molecules.

Symmetric Shapes

Molecular shapes like linear and tetrahedral that can be nonpolar if all peripheral atoms are the same.