Chemical Bonds
Understand how atoms join together to form compounds.
Learn
Types of Chemical Bonds
- Ionic bond: Electrons are transferred from one atom to another (metal + nonmetal)
- Covalent bond: Electrons are shared between atoms (nonmetal + nonmetal)
- Ions: Atoms that have gained or lost electrons (charged particles)
- Valence electrons: Outer electrons involved in bonding
- Octet rule: Atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to have 8 valence electrons
Practice
Question 1: What is a chemical bond?
Answer
A chemical bond is a force that holds atoms together in a compound.
Question 2: What is the difference between ionic and covalent bonds?
Answer
In ionic bonds, electrons are transferred between atoms. In covalent bonds, electrons are shared between atoms.
Question 3: What type of bond forms between sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl)?
Answer
An ionic bond, because sodium is a metal and chlorine is a nonmetal. Na transfers an electron to Cl.
Question 4: What type of bond forms between two oxygen atoms in O2?
Answer
A covalent bond, because both oxygen atoms are nonmetals and they share electrons.
Question 5: What are valence electrons?
Answer
Valence electrons are the outermost electrons of an atom that participate in chemical bonding.
Question 6: What is an ion?
Answer
An ion is an atom that has gained or lost electrons, giving it a positive or negative charge.
Question 7: If sodium loses one electron, what charge does the sodium ion have?
Answer
Sodium ion (Na+) has a +1 charge because it lost one negative electron.
Question 8: What is the octet rule?
Answer
The octet rule states that atoms tend to form bonds to have 8 electrons in their outer shell, making them more stable.
Question 9: Water (H2O) contains what type of bonds?
Answer
Covalent bonds. Hydrogen and oxygen are both nonmetals and share electrons.
Question 10: Why do noble gases rarely form chemical bonds?
Answer
Noble gases already have full outer electron shells (8 valence electrons), so they are stable and don't need to bond.