General Chemistry - Chemical Bonding

13 important questions on General Chemistry - Chemical Bonding

Steps to draw a lewis structure

  1. Count alence electrons of each atom
  2. Draw the skeletal structure of the compound
  • Least electronegative atom is the central atom
  • H, F, Cl, Br, and I occupy the ends
     3. Complete the octets of atoms bonded to the central atom
     4. Place remaining valence electrons on the central atom, if the central atom does not have a full octet form double or triple bonds to complete the octet

Which resonance structure is more stable?

Determined by the formal charge assigned to each element in the compound
  • A structure with a smaller or 0 formal charge overall is preferred
  • A structure where the - formal charge is assigned to the more electronegative atom is preferred to one where the formal charge is assigned to the less electronegative atom

Nonpolar covalent bonds

Occurs  between atoms with the same electronegativities (such as diatomic molecules)
The electron pair is shared equally
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Coordinate covalent bond

The shared electron pair comes from the lone pair of one of the atoms in the molecule
Ex: lewis acid + lewis base compounds

Using VESPR to determine the geometry of a molecule

  • Draw the lewis structure
  • Count the # of bonding and nonbonding electron pairs
  • Arrange the electron pairs so they are as far apart from one another as possible
  • Determine the bond angle based on bonding/ nonbonding pairs (use the table/ known arrangements)

VESPR arrangement: 3 e- pairs, 0 nonbonding pairs

Shape: Trigonal planar
Angles: 120

VESPR arrangement: 4 e- pairs, 0 nonbonding pairs

Shape: Tetrahedral
Angles: 109.5

VESPR arrangement: 4 e- pairs, 1 nonbonding pair

Shape: Trigonal pyrimidal
Angles: 107

VESPR arrangement: 4e- pairs, 2 nonbonding pairs

Shape: Bent
Angles: 104.5

VESPR arrangement: 6 e pairs, 0 nonbonding pairs

Shape: Octahedral
Angles: 90, 180

Determining polarity of a molecule

  • A molecule containing only nonpolar bonds will always be nonpolar
  • A molecule containing polar bonds may or may not be polar, depends on the net dipole moment of the individual bond polarities (if bonds cancel each other out, molecule is nonpolar)

Strength of different intermolecular forces

Dipole-Ion > Hydrogen bonding > dipole-dipole > LDF

Carbon-Carbon bonding, bond energy and length

         Bond length     Bond energy

C-C : longest             smallest
C=C: middle              middle
C=C: shortes             greatest

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