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Bond
That which holds together atoms in molecules and ions in lattices.
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Bond Dipole
The direction and magnitude of the charge separation in a bond.
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Bond Length
The distance between bonded nuclei.
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Bond Strength
The amount of energy necessary to break a bond. The energy gives a measure of how hard it is to break a bond.
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Closed Shell
An electron configuration with a full valence shell.
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Coulomb's Law
A mathematical formula whose consequence is that negatively and positively charged particles attract each other and similarly charged species repel each other.
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Covalent Bond
A bond that results from a sharing of electrons between nuclei.
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Electronegativity
A measure of the ability of an atom to attract electrons to itself.
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Formal Charge
The charge on an atom in a molecule as calculated by the rules outlined in Covalent Bonding, Heading .
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Ion
A charged species created by the gain or loss of an electron from an atom or neutral molecule.
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Ionic Bond
A bond that results from electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions. The cation is positively charged, while the anion is negatively charged.
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Lattice
A regularly repeating three-dimensional array of atoms, molecules, or ions.
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Lewis Structure
A description of a covalent bond whereby electrons are represented by dots and a bond is represented by placing a line between the two atoms in that bond. Only valence electrons are shown in Lewis structures.
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Lone Pair
A nonbonding pair of electrons.
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Molecule
A chemical species containing a covalent bond.
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Molecular Geometry
The three dimensional structure and orientation of the atoms, bonds, and lone pairs in a molecule.
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Octet
Eight electrons. For atoms other than H, the valence shell is filled with eight electrons. A filled valence gives the molecule a noble gas configuration and renders it stable.
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Open Shell
An electron configuration with a partially filled valence shell.
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Resonance Structure
One of several Lewis structures whose average represents an accurate depiction of the molecule not properly represented by one simple Lewis structure.
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Valence Electron
An electron located in the valence shell.
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Valence Shell
The orbitals with the highest occupied principle quantum number.
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Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory
A theory used to predict bonding geometries that states that electron pairs will be distributed about the central atom to minimize electron pair repulsions.
