4: Covalent Bonds
- Page ID
- 341901
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- 4.1: Characteristics of Covalent Compounds
- Covalent bonds between different atoms have different bond lengths. Covalent bonds can be polar or nonpolar, depending on the electronegativity difference between the atoms involved.
- 4.2: Multiple Covalent Bonds
- Some molecules must have multiple covalent bonds between atoms to satisfy the octet rule.
- 4.3: Molecular Geometry
- VSEPR theory predicts the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in a molecule. It states that valence electrons will assume an electron-pair geometry that minimizes repulsions between areas of high electron density (bonds and/or lone pairs). Molecular structure, which refers only to the placement of atoms in a molecule and not the electrons, is equivalent to electron-pair geometry only when there are no lone electron pairs around the central atom.
- 4.4: Electronegativity and Bond Polarity
- 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.