CHEMICAL BONDING
Group I to VII elements in the periodic table have incomplete outer shells. While group 8
elements have complete outer shells.
Elements with incomplete shells form compounds easily as they try to obtain/ attain
complete shells and be like group 8. The do so during chemical reactions by losing,
gaining or sharing valence electrons.
There are three types of chemical bonding.
Ionic bonding
Covalent bonding
Metallic bonding
Formation of ions
Ions are positively or negatively charged particles formed from an atom or groups of
atoms
An atom has no overall electric charge because an atom has the same number of protons
and electrons.
If an atom loses or gains electrons it is no longer called an atom. It is called an ion. An
ion has a full outer shell of electrons. An ion has an electric charge.
All chemical reactions involve atoms trying to get a full outer shell of electrons.
When an atom reacts with another atom, it will either
1. Lose electrons to form a stable positive ion.
2. Gain electrons to form a stable negative ion.
3. Share electrons to form a stable molecule.
Positive ions
Positive ions are formed when an atom loses outer shell electrons. Positive ions will be
formed.
Negative ions
Negative ions are formed when an atom gains/ add electrons to their last shell.
N:B An ion is a charged particle because it contains an equal number of protons and
electrons
EXAMPLE 1: Sodium, Na
Sodium has 1 electron in its outer shell. It is in group 1 of the periodic table.
When sodium reacts with non-metals (for example chlorine) it will lose its outer electron.
Its outer shell will then have no electrons. It is as though the outer shell has vanished. The
next shell in is full. This full inner shell becomes the new outer shell. Sodium is now
stable.
The unstable sodium atom loses its outer electron to become a stable sodium ion.
The sodium ion still has 11 protons (11 positive charges) but now only 10 electrons (10
negative charges). The sodium ion has an extra positive charge, shown by the + sign.
All group 1 metals will form a 1+ ion when they react with non-metals.
The charge on the ion can also be shown as
and the electron structure written as [2, 8]+
Electron Structure of Ions and Noble Gases.
The noble gases are in group 0 of the periodic table. They have a full outer shell of
electrons. They are stable and will not react with other atoms.
Atoms which have lost or gained electrons to form ions will have a full outer shell.
The stable Li+ ion has the same electron structure as Helium.
The stable Cl- ion has the same electron structure as Argon.
The electron structure of
Helium is 2.
Argon is 2, 8, 8.
Stable ions are said to have a noble gas electron structure.
IONIC BONDING
Electrovalent bonding
Ionic bonding is formed between metals and non metals. Metal atoms lose electrons and
non metal will gain the electron.
Ionic bonding is an electrostatic force of attraction between appositively charged ions.
(Between negative and positive charge)
Example 1: Sodium Chloride.
Example 2: Magnesium and oxygen
Magnesium is in group 2 of the periodic table. A magnesium atom will lose 2 electrons to
form a stable 2+ ion.
Oxygen is in group 6 of the periodic table. An oxygen atom will gain 2 electrons to form
a stable 2- ion.
The ionic bond between magnesium and oxygen is stronger than the ionic bond between
sodium and chlorine because of the greater charge on the ions.
Magnesium oxide has a higher melting point because of the stronger bond.
Magnesium + oxygen magnesium oxide.
2Mg(s) + O2(g) 2MgO(s)
Magnesium is in group 2 of the periodic table. A magnesium atom will lose 2 electrons to
form a stable 2+ ion.
Oxygen is in group 6 of the periodic table. An oxygen atom will gain 2 electrons to form
a stable 2- ion.
Class exercise
Draw a cross and dot diagram to represent ionic bonding in each of the following
following compounds.
PROPERTIES OF IONIC COMPOUNDS
Solids at room temperature and pressure.
They have high melting point and high boiling point
Reason A lot of heat energy is needed to overcome strong electrostatic force of
attraction between ions.
They conduct electricity when dissolved in water
Reason exist as ion when in an aqueous solution or molten. The ions are free to
move and can carry a charge, thereby conduct electricity.
They are insoluble in organic compound.
They usually soluble in water
Reason: the water molecule can attract the ions away from the lattice. The ions
can move freely, surrounded by water molecules.
IONIC STRUCTURE
Ionic are packed closed together in a regular arrangement to make a three dimensional
called lattice. In this structure each positive ions is surrounded by negative ion and vice
versa. Each sodium ion is surrounded by six chloride ion, and each chloride ion is
surrounded by six sodium ions (it has 6:6 coordination).
COVALENT BONDING
Covalent bonding is formed when non metal atoms share electrons
Single covalent bonding: is formed when two atoms share pair of electron.
Double covalent bonding: is formed when non metal atom share two pairs of electrons.
Triple covalent bonding: is formed when non metal atom share three pairs of electron
Example 1: Chlorine.
A chlorine atom has 7 electrons in its outer shell. Chlorine is in group 7 of the table. Two
chlorine atoms will each share one electron to get a full outer shell and form a stable Cl2
molecule.
Chlorine is a simple molecule.
Each chlorine atom can count 8 electrons in its outer shell by sharing the two electrons where the shells
touch.
These full outer shells are now stable, and the Cl2 molecule will not react further with other chlorine atoms.
One pair of shared electrons forms a single covalent bond.
There are no ions present (no + or - charges) because
the electrons are shared, not transferred from one atom to another.
The Structure of an Ammonia Molecule.
A nitrogen atom has 5 electrons in its outer shell. Nitrogen is in group 5 of the periodic
table.
A hydrogen atom has 1 electron in its outer shell. Hydrogen can only form 1 bond.
Three hydrogen atoms each share their 1 electron with nitrogen to form three covalent
bonds and make an ammonia molecule (NH3).
Note the 3 pairs (6 electrons) shared between the atoms. Each electron pair is one bond.
The molecule can also be shown without the circles for the shells.
The structural formula of an ammonia molecule is
Example 3; Oxygen O2
Carbon dioxide, CO2
Ethene, C2H4
Ethene has a double bond between the two carbon atoms.
PROPERTIES OF COVALENT COMPOUNDS
They have low boiling point and low melting point because they are no
electrostatic force of attraction.
Most of them do not dissolve in water but dissolve readily in organic solvent e.g
diesel, paraffin, petrol, benzene
They exist as liquid, solid, and gases at a room temperature and pressure example
of covalent compounds which is liquid is water, ethane. Solid is iodine, gas is
oxygen, carbon dioxide.
They do not conduct electricity because they are no free ions to carry the charge.
COVALENT STRUCTURE
These can be divided into simple molecular structures and giant molecular structures
Simple molecular structure
They have strong covalent bonds between atoms within a molecule and weak bond
(weak force of attractions) between molecules.
Strong covalent bonds within a molecule are referred to as intra molecular bond
Weak bonds between molecules are referred to as inter molecular bonds
Example: Chlorine Cl2
SKIP 8 LINES
Simple molecular compounds have a low melting point and low boiling point because
less energy is needed to separate the molecules joined by weak force of attractions
GIANT MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
They are no weak bonds but only a network of strong covalent bonds joining millions of
a atoms for this reason they have high melting point and high melting point.
Example: diamond, silicon dioxide, graphite
