Lesson 3: CHAPTER II

CHEMICAL BONDING
Did you ever make cupcakes from scratch? You mix together flour, sugar, eggs,
and other ingredients to make the batter, put the batter into cupcake papers, and then
put them into the oven to bake. The cupcakes that come out of the oven after baking
are different from any of the individual ingredients that went into the batter. Like the
ingredients that join together to make cupcakes, atoms of different elements can join
together to form entirely different substances called compounds. In cupcakes, the
eggs and other wet ingredients cause the dry ingredients to stick together. What
causes elements to stick together in compounds? The answer is chemical bonds.

What Is a Chemical Bond?

A chemical bond is a force of attraction between atoms or ions. Bonds form when
atoms share or transfer valence electrons. Valence electrons are the electrons in the
outer energy level of an atom that may be involved in chemical interactions. Valence
electrons are the basis of all chemical bonds.

Why Bonds Form

To understand why chemical bonds form, consider the common compound known as
water, or H2O. It consists of two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. As you
can see on the left side of the Figure below, each hydrogen atom has just one electron,
which is also its sole valence electron. The oxygen atom has six valence electrons.
These are the electrons in the outer energy level of the oxygen atom.

[Figure 2]

In the water molecule on the right in the Figure above, each hydrogen atom shares a
pair of electrons with the oxygen atom. By sharing electrons, each atom has electrons
available to fill its sole or outer energy level. The hydrogen atoms each have a pair of
shared electrons, so their first and only energy level is full. The oxygen atom has a total
of eight valence electrons, so its outer energy level is full. A full outer energy level is
the most stable possible arrangement of electrons. It explains why elements form
chemical bonds with each other.

TYPES OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS:

IONIC COMPOUNDS

What is Ionic Compound?

Ionic compounds can be defined as:The crystalline solids formed by neatly packed ions
of opposite charge. Ionic compounds are usually formed when metals react with
non-metals.

PROPERTIES OF IONIC COMPOUNDS

1.) Formation of Crystals

The ionic bond formed between the cation and anions is very strong. The ions
are arranged in a regular, geometric structure called crystal lattice. Different ionic
compounds have different crystal forms. Naturally occurring ionic crystals are found in
rocks and minerals; they are mixed with transition metal elements to give rise to
brilliant colors.
2.) They Have High Melting Points and High Boiling Points

Ionic compounds have very high melting and boiling points. The ions in a crystal
lattice are closely packed together creating a strong electrostatic force of attraction
between them. Figure 6 shows a small representative bit of the crystal lattice of
Sodium chloride. The more ions there are in a crystal structure the stronger the ionic
bonds. Therefore, a large amount of energy is required to overcome these bonds.

3.) They are hard and brittle

Because of the strong electrostatic attraction between ions’ ionic

compounds,therefore, they are hard and difficult to separate. But ionic compounds can
be also considered as brittle. For instance, when pressure or a mechanical force is
being applied like striking a hammer on the crystal, it will cause charges to move
closer. This results in electrostatic repulsion which will be enough to split the crystals.

4.) They conduct electricity when dissolved in water

When ionic compounds are dissolved in water to form an aqueous solution, the
cations and anions are dissociated or separated and are free to conduct electricity
through the solution. These ionic substances that conduct electricity are referred to as
electrolytes.

The figure shows a simple electrolysis set-up, where two electrodes (positive
and negative) are connected to a light bulb and a source such as a battery. When an
ionic compound (ex. Salt) is dissolved in water, the ions break out individually into
cations and anions. These ions are then free to move. When the electrodes are dipped
into the salt solution, the cations flow into the negative electrode while the anions flow
into the positive electrode causing electricity to flow. This in turn lights the bulb.
Floodwaters contain many dissolved ionic compounds. One should be careful in
case live wires come into contact with floodwaters. You can get electrocuted
 5.) They are nonconductors of electricity in solid form

Solid ionic compounds do not conduct electricity, instead, these are good
insulators. This is because the ions are locked into its crystal lattice and ions cannot
move out, so the solid cannot conduct electricity. Only ionic compounds in liquid
(molten) form or aqueous solutions are good electrical conductors

TYPES OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS:

COVALENT COMPOUNDS

What is Covalent Compound?

Covalent bonds form when two or more nonmetals combine

PROPERTIES OF COVALENT COMPOUNDS

1.) They have generally low melting points and boiling points

The covalent bonds between atoms are quite strong, but the intermolecular forces,
the attraction between molecules, can be relatively weak. The addition of a small amount
of energy separates these molecules easily. Therefore, they have low melting and boiling
points.

2.) Most Covalent Compounds are soft and flexible

This is because covalent bonds are relatively flexible and easy to break, which
causes molecular compounds to form gasses, liquids, and soft solids at room
temperature. However, there are exceptions, primarily when molecular compounds
assume crystalline form.
3.) They are flammable

Covalent compounds tend to be more flammable than ionic compounds.

Combustion is a reaction that releases energy when the compound reacts with oxygen to
produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. Many of these molecular compounds that
undergo combustion contain hydrogen and carbon atoms.

4.) They are not conductors of electricity

Ionic compounds dissociate into ions when dissolving in water, ions are needed to
conduct electricity. When dissolved in water, covalent compounds separate into
molecules rather than ions so typically don’t conduct electricity.

5.) They can be classified as Polar and Nonpolar Molecules

Covalent Molecular Compounds can be polar or nonpolar. The polarity of molecules

results from the differences in the electronegativity of the bonded atoms.

SUMMARY:
There are two common types of compounds based on their chemical bonding
characteristics; these are ionic compounds and covalent molecular compounds.
• Ionic compounds are formed between a metal and a nonmetal.
• The atoms in an ionic compound are held together by ionic bonds, in which there is a
complete transfer of electrons from one atom to another.
• The physical properties of ionic compounds are as follows:
o They form crystals.
o They have high melting and boiling points.
o They are hard and brittle.
o They are good conductors of electricity when in aqueous solutions.

• Covalent Molecular Compounds are formed from the chemical combination of two or
more nonmetals. It could also be between a metalloid and a nonmetal.
• The atoms in a covalent compound are held together by covalent bonds, in which the
electrons are shared between the atoms
• The following are the properties of covalent molecular compounds:
o They have low melting and boiling points.
o Most of their solids are soft and flexible.
o They are flammable.
o With few exceptions to the rule in covalent bonding, they form network
solids like those of diamonds.
o They are not conductors of electricity.
o They can be polar and nonpolar molecules.

Electronegativity is the ability of the atom to attract electrons. During covalent

bonding some compounds do not have the same electronegativity values in
their bonded atoms, creating an unequal sharing of electrons between atoms.
The resulting compound is a polar covalent compound or polar molecule.