Textbook Ch.7: Covalent Bonding Flashcards
What did Lewis suggest about nonmetal atoms?
Lewis suggested that nonmetal atoms, by sharing electrons to form an electron-pair bond, can acquire a stable noble-gas structure
Valence electrons
electrons in the outermost principal energy level
- Shown as dot symbols around the element
In Lewis structures of a molecule or polyatomic ion, valence electrons ordinarily ____
occur in pairs
Covalent bond
a pair of electrons shared between two atoms
- Shown by a straight line between bonded atoms in a Lewis structure
Unshared pair / Lone pair
a pair of electrons owned entirely by one atom
- Shown as a pair of dots on that atom in a Lewis structure
Single bonds
a single electron pair shared between two bonded atoms
- 1 line between two atoms on a Lewis structure
Double bonds
when bonded atoms share two electron pairs
- 2 lines between two atoms on a Lewis structure
Triple bonds
when bonded atoms share three electron pairs
- 3 lines between two atoms on a Lewis structure
Octet rule
atoms in covalently bonded species tend to have noble-gas electronic structures
- Nonmetals (except H) achieve a noble-gas structure by sharing an octet of electrons (eight)
- Hydrogen atoms, in molecules or polyatomic ions, are surrounded by a duet of electrons (two)
List the steps for writing Lewis Structures
- Count the number of valence electrons. (the last digit of the group number)
- Draw a skeleton structure for the species, joining atoms by single bonds
- The central atom is usually the one written first in the formula, put this in the center. Terminal atoms are often H, O, or a
halogen - Determine the number of valence electrons still available for distribution
- Determine the number of valence electrons required to fill out an octet for each atom (except H)
If after drawing the skeleton of a Lewis structure, the number of electrons available is equal to the number required, you…
distribute the available electrons as unshared pairs, satisfying the octet rule for each atom
If after drawing the skeleton of a Lewis structure, the number of electrons available is less than the number required, you…
must modify the skeletal structure by changing single bonds to multiple bonds
If after drawing the skeleton of a Lewis structure, the number of electrons available is greater than the number required you…
distribute leftover electrons around the central atom
Multiple bond formation is limited to which elements?
C, N, O, and S
Which atoms never form double bonds?
hydrogen and halogen atoms
Resonance forms
two structures separated by a double-headed arrow when the single Lewis structure does not adequately reflect the properties
of the substance
- Ex: in SO₂, you don’t know which oxygen the sulfur will be double-bonded to, it could be double-bonded to either
Resonance forms differ only in:
the distribution of electrons, not n the arrangement of atoms
Formal charge
a way to choose the more plausible of two resonance structures. It is the difference between the number of valence electrons in the free atom and the number of valence electrons assigned to the atom in the Lewis structure. The assigned electrons include
- All the unshared electrons owned by that atom
- One half of the bonding electrons shared by that atom
Equation of formal charge (Cբ):
Cբ = X-(Y + Z/2)
X= number of valence electrons in the free atom in the Lewis structure
Y=the number of bonding electrons shared by the atom in the Lewis structure
Z=the number of bonding electrons shared by the atom in the Lewis structure