C2.2

Question 1

Name some (4) chemical properties of metals and non metals

Answer 1

• Metals lose electrons to form positive ions, but non-metals gain electrons to form negative ions.
• Metals do not react with each other, but non-metals react with each other to produce compounds that consist of molecules.
• Metal oxides produce alkaline solutions.
• Non-metal oxides produce acidic solutions.

Question 2

What does the electronic structure of an atom tell us

Answer 2

• The last number is equal to the group number, except for group 0 elements which have full outer shells.
• The number of numbers equals the period number.
• The sum of the numbers equals the atomic number.

Question 3

What is an electron diagram?

Answer 3

• An electron diagram represents the electronic structure of an atom or ion.
• Ions go inside brackets with the charge written at the top right, and the elements symbol may be written at the centre.

Question 4

How do ionic compounds form

Answer 4

• They form when a metal reacts with a non-metal to transfer electrons so they both achieve more stable electronic structures.
• You can model the ions in the ionic compound by using a dot and cross diagram.

Question 5

Explain the meaning of the term ‘ionic bond’

Answer 5

• Ionic compounds in their solid state contain positive and negative ions arranged in a regular way This arrangement is called a giant ionic lattice.
• The ions are held in place by ionic bonds which act in all directions. Ionic bonds are strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Question 6

What are covalent bonds?

Answer 6

• A covalent bond is a bond that occurs between non-metals only. It is a shared pair of electrons

Question 7

What is a simple molecule?

Answer 7

• A simple molecule is a molecule that only contains a few atoms.

Question 8

Explain what a covalent bond is in terms of forces

Answer 8

• Covalent bonds involve electrostatics forces of attraction just like ionic bonds. However, with a covalent bond the forces are between the nucleus of each bonded atom and the shared electrons.
• The covalent bonds between atoms in a simple molecule are strong, but the intermolecular forces between the molecules are weak.

Question 9

What are giant covalent structures?

Answer 9

• A giant covalent structure consists of very many non-metal atoms linked together by strong covalent bonds and arranged in s repeating regular pattern which is called a giant lattice.

Question 10

What are polymers and monomers?

Answer 10

• All polymers are made from many smaller molecules called monomers. These monomers are able to join end to end in chemical reactions, producing longer polymer molecules.
• Monomers are simple molecules. They consist of a few non-metal atoms joined to each others by covalent bonds.

Question 11

What is the structure of metals like?

Answer 11

• All metals are in the solid state at room temperature. Their atoms are packed together in a regular way, forming a giant metallic lattice.

Question 12

Describe metallic bonding

Answer 12

• Metallic bonding only occurs between metals. Electrons leave the outer shells of the metal atoms, forming positive metal ions. These electrons are free to move through the structure of the metal, constructing a ‘sea’ of delocalised electrons.
• Metallic bonds are the strong electrostatic forces of attraction between the delocalised electrons and the closely packed, positively charged metal ions.