Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

A set of flashcards summarizing key concepts related to chemical bonding, molecular structure, and Lewis structures.

Lewis electron-dot symbols

Representation of the valence electrons of an atom using dots around its chemical symbol.

Anion

A negatively charged ion that gains electrons.

Cation

A positively charged ion that loses electrons.

Bond length

The distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms.

Bond dissociation energy

The energy required to break a bond between two atoms in a molecule.

Covalent bond

A bond formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons.

Octet rule

The tendency of atoms to prefer having eight electrons in their valence shell.

Kekule structures

Alternate representation of Lewis structures using lines for bonding pairs and dots for lone pairs.

Bond order

The number of bonding pairs between two atoms, indicating the strength and stability of a bond.

Covalent radius

A measure of the size of an atom that forms covalent bonds, often used to predict bond lengths.

Resonance

The phenomenon where a molecule can be represented by two or more valid Lewis structures.

Formal charge

A theoretical charge assigned to an atom in a molecule based on the number of valence electrons it possesses compared to the number it appears to own in the bonding context.

Exceptions to the octet rule

Situations where atoms can possess more or fewer than eight electrons in their valence shell.

Species with unpaired electrons

Atoms or molecules that contain one or more electrons that are not paired with another electron, often contributing to their reactivity.