Chemical Bonding
Chemical bonding explains how atoms combine to form compounds. Master ionic, covalent, and metallic bonding, bond polarity, intermolecular forces, and how bonding affects properties.
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Study Tips
- ✓Ionic bonds form between metals and nonmetals (large electronegativity difference)
- ✓Covalent bonds form between nonmetals (shared electrons)
- ✓A polar bond can be in a nonpolar molecule if symmetrical (like CO2)
- ✓Hydrogen bonding: H bonded to N, O, or F, interacting with another N, O, or F
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Students often confuse intramolecular bonds (within molecules) with intermolecular forces (between molecules), assume all polar bonds make polar molecules, forget that London forces exist in ALL molecules (not just nonpolar), and underestimate hydrogen bonding strength.
Chemical Bonding FAQs
Common questions about chemical bonding
A molecule is polar if it has polar bonds AND an asymmetrical geometry. Draw the Lewis structure, determine geometry (VSEPR), then check if dipoles cancel. CO2 is nonpolar (linear, dipoles cancel). H2O is polar (bent, dipoles don't cancel).
From strongest to weakest: Ion-dipole (ions with polar molecules), Hydrogen bonding (H with N/O/F), Dipole-dipole (polar molecules), London dispersion (all molecules). Stronger IMFs mean higher boiling points and surface tension.
Water has extensive hydrogen bonding - each molecule can form up to 4 hydrogen bonds. This strong intermolecular attraction requires significant energy to overcome, resulting in an unusually high boiling point for such a small molecule.
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