covalent bonding Flashcards
1
Q
key points of covalent bonding
A
- covalent bonding are formed when atoms of non-metals share pairs of electrons with each other.
- each shared pair of electrons is a covalent bond
- many substances containing covalent bonds consist of simple molecules but some have giant covalent structures.
2
Q
simple molecules
A
- the atoms of non-metals generally tend to gain electrons to achieve stable electron structures.
- when they react together, neither atom can give away electrons.
- so they get the electronic structure of a noble gas by sharing electrons.
- the atoms in the molecules are then held together by the shared pairs of electrons.
- these are called covalent bonds.
3
Q
giant covalent structures
A
- many substances containing covalent bonds consist of small molecules e.g H2o.
- sometimes, covalent bonds can be very different.
- they have giant structures where huge numbers of atoms are held together by a network of covalent bonds.