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Chemistry LibreTexts

5: Chemical Bonds

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How do atoms make compounds? Typically they join together in such a way that they lose their identities as elements and adopt a new identity as a compound. These joins are called chemical bonds. But how do atoms join together? Ultimately, it all comes down to electrons. Before we discuss how electrons interact, we need to introduce a tool to simply illustrate electrons in an atom.

  • 5.1: Prelude to Chemical Bonds
    Diamond is the hardest natural material known on Earth. Yet diamond is just pure carbon. What is special about this element that makes diamond so hard? Bonds. Chemical bonds.
  • 5.2: Lewis Electron Dot Diagrams
    Lewis electron dot diagrams use dots to represent valence electrons around an atomic symbol. Lewis electron dot diagrams for ions have less (for cations) or more (for anions) dots than the corresponding atom.
  • 5.3: Ions and Ionic Compounds
    Ions form when atoms lose or gain electrons. Ionic compounds have positive ions and negative ions. Ionic formulas balance the total positive and negative charges. Ionic compounds have a simple system of naming. Groups of atoms can have an overall charge and make ionic compounds.
  • 5.4: Electron Transfer - Ionic Bonds
    The tendency to form species that have eight electrons in the valence shell is called the octet rule. The attraction of oppositely charged ions caused by electron transfer is called an ionic bond. The strength of ionic bonding depends on the magnitude of the charges and the sizes of the ions.
  • 5.5: Periodic Trends- Electronegativity
  • 5.6: Covalent Bonds
    Covalent bonds are formed when atoms share electrons. Lewis electron dot diagrams can be drawn to illustrate covalent bond formation. Double bonds or triple bonds between atoms may be necessary to properly illustrate the bonding in some molecules.
  • 5.7: Molecules and Chemical Nomenclature
    Molecules are groups of atoms that behave as a single unit. Some elements exist as molecules: hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and so forth. There are rules that can express a unique name for any given molecule, and a unique formula for any given name.
  • 5.8: Other Aspects of Covalent Bonds
    Covalent bonds can be nonpolar or polar, depending on the electronegativities of the atoms involved. Covalent bonds can be broken if energy is added to a molecule. The formation of covalent bonds is accompanied by energy given off. Covalent bond energies can be used to estimate the enthalpy changes of chemical reactions.
  • 5.9: Violations of the Octet Rule
    There are three violations to the octet rule: odd-electron molecules, electron-deficient molecules, and expanded valence shell molecules.
  • 5.10: Molecular Shapes
    The approximate shape of a molecule can be predicted from the number of electron groups and the number of surrounding atoms.
  • 5.11: Acids
    An acid is a compound of the H+ ion dissolved in water. Acids have their own naming system. Acids have certain chemical properties that distinguish them from other compounds.
  • 5.E: Chemical Bonds (Exercises)
    These are exercises and select solutions to accompany Chapter 9 of the "Beginning Chemistry" Textmap formulated around the Ball et al. textbook.


This page titled 5: Chemical Bonds is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Theodore Chan via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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