Covalent Bonds

Study Guide

Terms

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Terms

Bond

That which holds together atoms in molecules and ions in lattices.
Bond Dipole

The direction and magnitude of the charge separation in a bond.
Bond Length

The distance between bonded nuclei.
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.
Closed Shell

An electron configuration with a full valence shell.
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.
Covalent Bond

A bond that results from a sharing of electrons between nuclei.
Electronegativity

A measure of the ability of an atom to attract electrons to itself.
Formal Charge

The charge on an atom in a molecule as calculated by the rules outlined in Covalent Bonding, Heading .
Ion

A charged species created by the gain or loss of an electron from an atom or neutral molecule.
Ionic Bond

A bond that results from electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions. The cation is positively charged, while the anion is negatively charged.
Lattice

A regularly repeating three-dimensional array of atoms, molecules, or ions.
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.
Lone Pair

A nonbonding pair of electrons.
Molecule

A chemical species containing a covalent bond.
Molecular Geometry

The three dimensional structure and orientation of the atoms, bonds, and lone pairs in a molecule.
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.
Open Shell

An electron configuration with a partially filled valence shell.
Resonance Structure

One of several Lewis structures whose average represents an accurate depiction of the molecule not properly represented by one simple Lewis structure.
Valence Electron

An electron located in the valence shell.
Valence Shell

The orbitals with the highest occupied principle quantum number.
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.

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