Honor Bio 5.2 Flashcards
What happens with electrons during ionic bonds?
Electrons are transferred from one atom to another, resulting in the formation of charged ions.
What happens with electrons during polar covalent bonds?
Electrons are shared unequally between two atoms, causing one atom to become slightly negative and the other slightly positive.
What happens with electrons during nonpolar covalent bonds?
Electrons are shared equally between two atoms, resulting in no charge difference across the bond.
Differentiate between a polar covalent bond and a nonpolar covalent bond.
A polar covalent bond has an unequal sharing of electrons due to a difference in electronegativity between the bonded atoms, causing partial charges. A nonpolar covalent bond has equal sharing of electrons, and both atoms have similar electronegativity, resulting in no charge difference.
Given two atoms, how can you determine what type of bond will form between them?
You assess the difference in electronegativity between the two atoms. If the difference is large (greater than 1.7), an ionic bond will form. If the difference is moderate (0.4 to 1.7), a polar covalent bond will form. If the difference is small (less than 0.4), a nonpolar covalent bond will form.