Chemistry - How Chemical Bonds Are Formed in Chemistry

If your goal is to understand chemistry, then it is important that you know how chemical bonds are formed between the elements. Knowing how chemical bonds are formed will help you understand:

• how chemical names are determined
• how chemical formulas are written and
• how chemical reactions occur

Therefore you should take the time to understand the chemical bond.

So, what is a chemical bond?

A chemical bond is an attraction between two atoms so strong that the atoms act as a unit and this attraction is result of a pair of electrons either being shared or transferred by the atoms. It is important to remember that every single bond involves two electrons; usually one from each atom.

What kind of bonds are there?

There are two basic types of chemical bonds; ionic or covalent. The ionic bond is the attraction between a cation (+) and an anion (-). The covalent bond is formed by the sharing of electrons to create partial charges.
How does the ionic bond form?

An ionic bonds forms when one element transfers some of its electrons to another element. The atom losing the electrons develops a positive charge (cation) and the element receiving the electrons develops a negative charge (anion). Since opposites attract, the cation is now attracted to the anion and a bond is formed between them.

• Example: Na+ + Cl- ---> NaCl
The ionic bond usually forms between a metal and a nonmetal and is the strongest of the chemical bonds. The resulting substance from ionic bonding is an ionic compound.

How does the covalent bond form?

A covalent bond forms when two atoms share a pair of electrons. The sharing of electrons creates a partial positive charge and a partial negative charge which then forms an attraction between the atoms. Because the charges are only partial the covalent bond is not as strong as the ionic bond.

A covalent bond is usually between a nonmetal and a nonmetal. The resulting substance from covalent bonding is a covalent compound.

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