Bonding Essay
IFP
Engineering and Science January Intake
Student: Ghassan Mousa Adam Eissa
Student ID: 40131410
Instructor: David Maxwell
Submission Date: 27/03/2014
Subject: Chemistry
Chemical Bonds
Chemical bonds are what hold atoms together to form the more arduous amounts
known as molecules. The forces that hold bonded atoms together are basically just
the same kinds of electrostatic attractions that bind the electrons of an atom to its
positively-charged nucleus; chemical bonding occurs when one or more electrons
are simultaneously attracted to two nuclei.
A Molecule
A molecule is the smallest particle in a chemical element or compound that has the
chemical properties of that element or compound. Molecules are made up of atom s
that are held together by chemical bonds. These bonds form as a result of the
sharing or exchange of electron s among atoms.
([Link], 2014)
Bond energies
The bond energy is the amount of energy needed to destroy or create a bond in 1
mole of gaseous molecules.
Some bond energies examples
Tutor Vista (2013)
Bond Energy Uses
1-To interpret the strength of a bond
2-To determine the enthalpy changes in chemical reactions and to conclude whether
the reactions are exothermic or endothermic.
Strength of a bond
For example, compare the bond energies of C-C, C=C, C=C.
C-C (347KJ/mol), C=C(620KJ/mol), C=C(812KJ/mol)
C-C’s bond energy is smaller than C=C’s bond energy, which is smaller that C=C’s
bond energy. The reason for this is the fact that there is 6 electrons in the triple
bond, 4 electrons in the double bond, and 2 electrons in the single bond. The more
electrons there is in a certain bond, the stronger the attraction between the electrons
and the nucleus. Therefore, we can conclude that the bond energy is corresponded
with the number of electrons in a certain bond.
There are many types of bonding, including Covalent, Ionic and Metallic.
Ionic Bonding
The mechanism of not sharing electrons between 2 atoms is called Ionic Bonding. It
takes place between a non-metal and a metal. It is also known as the process in
which electrons are "conveyed" to one another because the two atoms have different
levels of electron affinity.
Characteristics:
High Melting/Boiling points
Strong
Able to conduct electricity when liquid
Good insulators
Covalent bonding
The operation of sharing electrons between 2 atoms is called Covalent Bonding. The
bonds are often between a non-metal and a non-metal. As their electronegativities
are all within the high range, the electrons are engaged and removed by both atom's
nuclei. In the case of 2 exact atoms that are bonded to each other, they both give an
equivalent force of pull on the electrons, therefore there is a balanced attraction
between the two atoms. This is why covalent bonds are more difficult to break. There
are three types of covalent bonds: single, double, and triple bonds. A single bond is
made of 2 bonded electrons. Generally, a double bond has 4 electrons, and a triple
bond has 6 bonded electrons. A triple bond has more strength in electron affinity
than a single bond, due to this fact, the attraction to the positively charged nucleus is
increased, which means that the distance from the nucleus to the electrons is less. In
short, the more bonds, the shorter the bond length will be.
Characteristics:
Low Melting/Boiling points
Soft
Flammable
Doesn’t conduct electricity
Metallic Bonding
A force that keeps atoms collectively in a metallic substance. Such a solid abides of
closely packed atoms. In general, the outermost electron shell of each of the metal
atoms overlays with a large number of bordering atoms. Accordingly, the valence
electrons constantly move from one atom to another and are not related to any
specific pair of atoms. To sum things up, the valence electrons in metals, unlike
those in covalently bonded substances, are nonlocalized, capable of drifting
relatively openly throughout the entire crystal. The atoms that the electrons abandon
turn into positive ions, and the interaction between such ions and valence electrons
comes out with the cohesive or binding force that bear the metallic crystal together.
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014)
Characteristics:
Good conductors of heat and electricity
High Melting/Boiling Points
Strong
Opaque
Intermolecular Forces
These consist of Dipole-Dipole, Hydrogen bonding, Induced Dipole, and London
Forces.
Hydrogen Bonding
When water molecules are close together, their positive and negative regions are
attracted to the oppositely-charged regions of nearby molecules. The force of
attraction is called a hydrogen bond.
Dipole-Dipole Forces
This is the attractive forces between the 2 ends of 2 polar molecules, one that is positive and other
that is positive.
Induced Dipole
Forces between non-polar molecules are the weakest of all intermolecular forces. "Temporary
dipoles" are formed by the shifting of electron clouds within molecules. These temporary
dipoles attract or repel the electron clouds of nearby non-polar molecules. The temporary
dipoles may exist for only a fraction of a second but a force of attraction also exist for that
fraction of time. The strength of induced dipole forces depends on how easily electron clouds
can be distorted. Large atoms or molecules with many electrons far removed from the nucleus
are more easily distorted.
London Dispersion Forces
Uneven sharing of electrons generates swift polarization and counter-polarization of
the electron cloud creating short lived dipoles. These dipole interact with the electron
clouds of nearby molecules forming more dipoles. The attractive interaction of these
dipole are called London Dispersion forces.
Bibliography
[Link]. 2014. Introduction to Chemical Bonding - Chemwiki. [Online] Available at:
[Link]
ompounds/Introduction_to_Chemical_Bonding [Accessed: 22 Mar 2014].
Encyclopedia Britannica. 2014. Metallic bond (chemistry). [Online] Available at:
[Link] [Accessed: 20 Mar 2014].
Tutor Vista. 2013. Bond Energies. [Image online] Available at:
[Link] [Accessed: 23 Mar 2014].
[Link]. 2014. What is molecule? - Definition from [Link]. [Online] Available at:
[Link] [Accessed: 19 Mar 2014].
