Chemical Bonding PDF

Chemical Bonding What is a chemical bond? If a system has a lower energy when the atoms are close together than when apart, then bonds exist between those atoms. A bond is an electrostatic force that holds the atoms of elements together in a compound. There are three types of bonding: M.Silberber...

Chemical Bonding What is a chemical bond? If a system has a lower energy when the atoms are close together than when apart, then bonds exist between those atoms. A bond is an electrostatic force that holds the atoms of elements together in a compound. There are three types of bonding: M.Silberberg: Chemistry – The Molecular nature of Matter and Change 4th Ed Ionic Bonding The structure of an ionic compound is a three- dimensional lattice (e.g. cubic, tetrahedral, octahedral) and depends on the radii of the ions and the stoichiometry. Electrons are transferred to form cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions). An ionic bond is the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions. The magnitude of the attraction depends on the size and charge of the ions involved (charge density). The interactions are isotropic - i.e. non-directional. Electronegativity differences >2 generally result in ionic bonds. So, compounds formed between elements of Groups 1 and 2 and elements of Groups 16 and 17 are expected to be ionic. 18 The lattice energy of a compound represents the strength of the ionic attraction and properties (e.g., melting point, hardness, solubility). It is the energy change required to separate one mole of ionic solid into the gaseous ions. e.g. NaCl(s) → Na+(g) + Cl–(g) LE = +788 kJ mol-1 e.g. Na2O(s) → 2Na+(g) + O2–(g) LE = +2488 kJ mol-1 e.g. MgO(s) → Mg2+(g) + O2–(g) LE = +3800 kJ mol-1 Typically ionic compounds show the following properties: Solids are hard, crystalline, brittle and have a high melting point. The solid does not conduct electricity. An ionic compound does conduct electricity as a molten liquid, or in solution for soluble compounds, when ions are released to carry the current. Metallic Bonding If elements have relatively low ionization energies then the valence electrons become mobile giving rise to a “sea of electrons” or metallic bonding, e.g. Fe(s). Typically metals show the following properties: Good electrical conductivity in solid and molten state as a result of the mobile electrons. Metals are malleable and ductile –atoms are able to slide past each other in a sea of electrons. Melting point – variable but often low as attraction between nuclei and mobile electrons not really broken when melted. Boiling point – typically high due to need to overcome attraction between nuclei and mobile electrons. Covalent Bonding In a covalent bond electrons are shared between two atoms. There is a specific distance between the bonding nuclei at which the energy of the molecule is minimized. This distance is called the bond length of a covalent bond. A single covalent bond is made up of a pair of electrons. Some atoms can share more than one pair of electrons at a time. Such sharing results in a double bond (for sharing two electron pairs) or a triple bond (for sharing three pairs). 19  Pairs of electrons in the valence shell of an atom, but which do not take part in bonding (i.e. are not shared) are called lone pairs or non-bonding pairs of electrons. If a bond is formed between two different atoms, the electron pair of the bond will be attracted towards the atom with the higher electronegativity (EN). This results in the atom with the higher EN having a partial negative charge relative to the atom of lower EN. The bond is termed polar. There is a broad inverse correlation between the strength of a bond and its length Bond Energy Bond length (kJ mol-1) (pm) H-H 432 74 C-H 413 109 Cl-Cl 239 199 Br-Br 193 228 C-C 347 154 C=C 614 134 C≡C 839 121 Electronegativity differences