Chemical Bonding Research Paper

Chemical Bonding

S00143856

Emma Butler

22/10/14

Chemical Bonding

“We define the chemical bond as an interaction between atoms associated with a collectivization of the valence electronic orbitals” (Bersuker 2010). This meaning that we look at a chemical bond and categorise it according to where the valence electrons are found in the molecules. As the valence electrons determine the chemical properties of the molecule, based on the properties of the molecule we can determine the type of bonding it falls under. The bond is formed by the electrostatic force of attraction between either the electrons or nuclei of the molecules.

There are two categories of chemical bonds, Primary bonds and Secondary Bonds. Primary bonding has to occur before

In ionic bonding, once the bond has occurred the atoms become stable and they become ions. Ionic bonds in nature are quite strong. Therefore the ionic compounds have high melting points and can be either very hard or brittle. The materials are good insulators, for both electricity and thermal conditions. These characteristics would be seen as strengths of this type of bonding as the compounds which undergo this type of bonding can withstand high temperatures without

Metallic bonding can be seen as “an electrostatic interaction between the delocalized valence electrons and the positively charged ion cores” (C. Barry Carter 2013).This occurs in metals and their alloys. The valence electrons are not localized therefore have the freedom to move throughout the entire metal. The bonds are formed by the sharing of electrons across many atoms. Metallic bonds are non-directional. Each metallic bond has a general structure of metal ions and an electron cloud which has occurred due to the sea of valance electrons. This can be seen below in Figure 4. These free electrons are the reason metals are such good electric and thermal conductors. As there is different strength in the bonds the melting and boiling points vary according to this. The strength of the metals also varies based on the strength of the bond. Metals are tough and this is because the molecules aren’t in fixed positions and can move. An example of a molecule that has a metallic bond is