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4: Covalent Bonds

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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.

    4: Covalent Bonds is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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