Heinemann Chemistry 1

Materials made of molecules

Covalent bonding
Making molecular models
Purpose
To demonstrate the bonding and shape of a number of simple covalent molecules.

Theory
Refer to Chapter 6, Section 6.2, for a discussion of covalent bonding models and molecular shape.

Materials
• commercially produced molecular model building kit or golf-ball-sized lumps of different-
coloured plasticine

Procedure
1 Using the appropriately coloured ‘atom’, construct a model of each molecule listed in Tables 1, 2
and 3 and take a photograph of the model you create.
2 Draw each structure with a neat diagram that shows a three-dimensional representation of your
model.
3 Draw a valence structure and electron dot diagram for each of your molecules.
Remember to include the non-bonding electron pairs in your diagrams.

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 Table 1 Single covalent bonds
Molecule Diagram Valence structure Electron dot diagram

methane (CH4)

ammonia (NH3)

water (H2O)

hydrogen chloride (HCl)

phosphine (PH3)

butane (C4H10 )

Table 2 Double covalent bonds

Molecule Valence structure Electron dot diagram

carbon dioxide (CO2)

ethene (C2H4)

Table 3 Triple covalent bonds

Molecule Valence structure Electron dot diagram
nitrogen (N2)

ethyne (C2H2)

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2016 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4886 1124 7 Page 2
Questions
1 Identify the shape of each molecule you have made. It might help to use a highlighter pen
to draw over the bonding atoms and electron pairs in each structural formula. Determine
whether each molecule is polar or non-polar, and the type of intermolecular force you
would expect to exist between like molecules for each of these substances. Complete Table
4 on the next page.

2 Name the polar molecules from Table 4 and explain why they are polar.

3 Give two limitations of the bonding model used for the compounds.

4 Name an element or elements that can form stable single, double and triple bonds
with its own atoms.

5 Explain why the bonding pairs in CH4 are arranged in a tetrahedral shape.

6 Summarise the ways in which bonding and molecular shape determine the polarity
of a molecule.

7 Describe how the polarity of a molecule determines the type of intermolecular force present.

Copyright © Pearson Australia 2016 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN 978 1 4886 1124 7 Page 3
Table 4 Shape, polarity and intermolecular forces of molecules

Molecule Photograph of model Shape Polarity Intermolecular force

methane (CH4)
ammonia (NH3)
water (H2O)
hydrogen chloride (HCl)
butane (C4H10 )
phosphine (PH3)
oxygen (O2)
carbon dioxide (CO2)
ethene (C2H4)
nitrogen (N2)
ethyne (C2H2)