Why Elements React to
Form Compounds
By Jena &
Charvi
Conte
nts
Atomic
structure
Ionic
bonding
Sharing
electrons
Atomic
structure
Atoms have electrons arranged in diff erent
electron shells or energy levels around the
nucleus. The shell with the highest energy
level is the one on the outside of the atom. It
is called the outermost electron shell. In the
diff erent shells, there is room for two electrons
in the fi rst electronshell, eight electrons in the
second electron shell, and eight electrons in
the third electron shell. The number of
electrons in an atom is the same as the
number of protons in that atom. The atomic
number tells us how many protons there are in
an atom. The electrons have an electrical
charge of -1 and protons a charge of +1. Atoms
have no overall charge because there are an
equal number of protons and electrons.
What is an
Ion
An ion is an atom that has gained or
lost one or more electrons, resulting in
a positive or negative charge. Think of
it like a magnet: when an atom gains
or loses electrons, it becomes
attracted to other atoms with opposite
charges, forming a bond.
Ionic Bonding
Ionic bonding is a type of chemical bond
that forms between a positively charged
ion and a negatively charged ion. This
bond is strong and holds the atoms
together to form a compound. For
example, sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl)
form an ionic bond to create sodium
chloride (NaCl).
Properties of Sodium
and Chlorine Ions
Sodium and chlorine atoms have
different properties. Sodium loses an
electron to become a positively
charged ion (Na+), while chlorine
gains an electron to become a
negatively charged ion (Cl-). These
charges attract each other, forming a
strong bond.
Formation of Ionic
Bonds
Other metals in Group 1, like lithium and
potassium, can also form ionic bonds with
Group 7 elements like chlorine and
fluorine. For example, lithium reacts with
chlorine to form lithium chloride, and
potassium reacts with chlorine to form
potassium chloride and with fluorine to
form potassium fluoride. The ease with
which these metals lose or gain electrons
Comparison of
Fluorine &
Fluorine is more reactive than
chlorine Chlorine
because it's easier for
fluorine to gain an extra electron.
This increased reactivity allows
fluorine to form stronger bonds with
other elements, like potassium,
resulting in compounds like
potassium fluoride. Chlorine, on the
Sharing Electrons
When non-metals form
compounds with other non-
metals they do so by sharing
electrons to fill their
outermost electron shells.
Hydrogen & Chlorine
An example of this is when hydrogen and
chlorine react to form hydrogen chloride:
a hydrogen atom has just one electron in its
outermost electron shell; in this first shell there
is only room for two electrons
a chlorine atom has seven electrons in its
outermost electron shell; in this electron shell
there is room for eight electrons
the atoms share a pair of electrons, so both
hydrogen and chlorine have their outermost
electron shells full of electrons
Hydrogen & Chlorine
Continued
a molecule of hydrogen chloride is
formed; its formula is HClThe electron in
the hydrogen atom is shown as a dot and
the electrons in the chlorine atom are
shown as crosses. This type of diagram is
known as a dot and cross diagram.
This type of chemical bond where
electrons are shared is called
covalentbond
Hydrogen & Hydrogen
Covalent molecules are formed when
atoms of different non-metals join
together to form compounds and when
atoms of the same non-metal join
together.For example, two atoms of
hydrogen join together to form a
molecule of hydrogen:
an atom of hydrogen has one electron in
its outermost electron shell; this electron
Hydrogen & Hydrogen
Continued
the hydrogen atoms share a pair
of electrons, so both atoms have
two electrons in the outermost
electron shell so the shell is full
and more stable
a molecule of hydrogen is formed;
the formula is written as H2.
Thank
You
