Practice Problems: Chemical Bonding

Atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve a full outer electron shell (8 electrons), similar to a noble gas.

A chemical bond formed by the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions, typically between a metal and a nonmetal.

A chemical bond formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms, usually between nonmetals.

A covalent bond where electrons are shared unequally, leading to a partial positive and partial negative charge on the bonded atoms.

A covalent bond where electrons are shared equally, resulting in no significant charge difference between bonded atoms.

A diagram that represents the bonding between atoms of a molecule and the lone pairs of electrons that may exist in the molecule.

A way to represent the charge an atom would have if all bonds were ionic

The combination of cation (positive ion) and anion (negative ion) symbols, showing the ratio of each element.

The Octet Rule states that atoms are most stable when they have eight electrons in their outermost energy level (valence shell), which is the same electron configuration as a noble gas. To achieve this stability, atoms either gain, lose, or share electrons.

A chemical bond formed by the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions, created when one atom donates an electron to another atom.

A chemical bond formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms, typically between nonmetals. Each atom contributes electrons to create shared pairs.

A type of covalent bond where electrons are shared unequally between two atoms. This unequal sharing creates a partial positive and partial negative charge on the bonded atoms.

A type of covalent bond where electrons are shared equally between two atoms, resulting in no significant charge difference between the bonded atoms.

Water is a polar molecule because the oxygen atom attracts the shared electrons in the O-H bonds more strongly than the hydrogen atoms. This creates a partial negative charge on the oxygen atom and a partial positive charge on the hydrogen atoms.

A Lewis dot structure is a diagram where the atoms are represented by their chemical symbols, and the valence electrons are shown as dots around the symbols. Shared electrons are represented as lines connecting the atoms.

To form the formula of an ionic compound, you must combine the cation (positive ion) and anion (negative ion) symbols in a ratio that results in a neutral compound. The charges of the ions determine the subscripts.