Unit 2: Molecules Flashcards
What are the atomic and physical properties of alkali metals?
tend to be soft and have low melting point
low ionization energy, lose s electrons easily (M+ formed)
How would you extract alkali metals?
M+ —> M
NaCl —> Na + Cl2
What is Chemical Bonding?
atoms bond together to form molecules or extended structures
electrostatic attraction between cations and anions (ionic solids) as well as between electrons and nuclei (in molecules)
What are the properties of metals?
few valence electrons
low ionization energy
less negative electron affinity
tend to lose e-
What are the properties of nonmetals?
many valence electrons
high ionization energy
more negative electron affinity
tend to gain e-
What is ionic bonding?
metals + nonmetals
electrons are transferred completely from one atom to another
form an extended structure
a great deal of energy is released when the gaseous ions combine to form the ionic solid
poor electrical conductors in the solid, but good conductors when molten or dissolved in solution
What is covalent bonding?
nonmetals + nonmetals
electrons are shared between atoms (located in the space between them)
bonded atoms form a molecule
typically exist as liquids or gases with low mp or bp
What is metallic bonding?
metals + metals
electrons are highly delocalized and shared by all atoms
bonded atoms are held together by a “sea of electrons” in an extended structure
typically malleable and ductile, have moderately high mp and bp, and conduct heat and electricity well
What is bond energy?
the bond energy (BE) of a bond A-B is the energy required to overcome the attraction of the two atoms A and B
bond breaking: A-B –> A + B (endothermic)
bond making: A + B –> A-B
(exothermic)
What does bond length have to do with bond strength?
Besides a single covalent bond, stronger multiple bonds can also form, the bond strength is related to its length and energy
shorter bond means a stronger bond
How can you tell if a fuel will release more energy?
fuels with more weak bonds (like C-C and C-H) yield more energy
fuel with fewer bonds to oxygen release more energy
What is electronegativity?
most bonds are intermediate, having both ionic and covalent character
electronegativity: the relative ability of an atom, bonded within a molecule, to attract shared electrons to itself
What are the trends of electronegativity?
across a period: EN increases
down a group: EN decreases
EN is inversely related to atomic size, smaller atoms are more electronegative
What are dipole moments?
molecules such as HF with partial charges, separated by a distance, possess a dipole moment
molecules with dipole moments are aligned in an electric field
molecules with more than two atoms may or may not have an overall dipole moment, depending on how the bond dipoles add vectorially
What are the features of Lewis Structures?
Only valence electrons are shown
A pair of bonding electrons (or a bond pair) between two atoms is a single covalent bond and shown by a line, a pair of non-bonding electrons on one atom is a lone pair and is shown by two dots
Electrons are distributed so that atoms acquire a stable electron configuration, usually an octet (8 e-) for most atoms (but 2e- for H atoms), multiple bonds (double or triple bonds) may need to be formed
What is the procedure of drawing Lewis structures?
- Determine the total number of valence electrons
- Determine how atoms are connected, identify the central atoms and terminal atoms
- Draw a skeletal structure by joining atoms with single bonds, subtract 2 electrons for each single bond
- Distribute the remaining electrons in pairs, first complete octets around the terminal atoms, then distribute the remaining electrons around the central atoms
- If there’s too few electrons, convert lone pairs from terminal atoms to form multiple bonds with central atoms (to attain octets)
What is resonance?
often, more than one plausible Lewis structure
the true structure is a resonance hybrid of the contributing Lewis structures, the concept of resonance accounts for the fact that bonding electrons density can be delocalized over more than two atoms
What are the most important structures a Lewis diagram can have?
complete octets
low formal charges
negative formal charges borne by more electronegative atoms
separated like charges
What is a formal charge?
each atom is assigned electrons which “belong” to them
the formal charge on an atom is the difference between the number of valence electrons in the free atom and the number of assigned electrons in the bonded atom in the molecule
for a neutral molecule, the sum of the formal charges is zero, for an ion the sum of the formal charge equals the charge on the ion
What are some exceptions to the octet rule?
- Odd-electron species (place unpaired electrons on the least EN atom)
- Incomplete octets (Be, B, Al my have less than an octet)
- Expanded valence shells (third period or heavier elements may have 10 or 12 electrons around them)
What is the difference between formal charge and oxidation number?
in formal charge, electrons in bond are split evenly in half, corresponding to the covalent extreme
in oxidation number, electrons are bond in assigned to the more electronegative atom, corresponding to the ionic extreme
What are molecular shapes?
Lewis structures portray the arrangement of electrons, but not the molecular shape
a simple model to predict shapes is valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory
electron pairs (bond pairs or lone pairs) are arranged around a central atom to minimize repulsions
What is the procedure for finding molecular shapes?
- Draw Lewis structures
- Establish electron-group arrangement AXE
- Determine the molecular shape
- Predict deviations
- Polar or nonpolar
What VSEPR shapes could a molecule with two electron groups have?
AX2, linear geometry
What VSEPR shapes could a molecule with three electron groups have?
AX3, trigonal planar
AX2E, bent, v-shaped, angular
What VSEPR shapes could a molecule with four electron groups have?
four groups around a central atom adopt a tetrahedral electron group arrangement, with bond angles of 109.5
AX4, tetrahedral, no polar
AX3E, trigonal pyramidal, polar
AX2E2, bent/v-shaped/angular, polar