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Covalent Bonding

Jamie Z 2024-02-11

Learning Goals

  • To understand what Covalent Bonding is

Covalent bonds

  • Covalent bonding is a type of chemical bond formed between two atoms when they share electrons.
  • Bonding occurs between two non-metals
  • Atoms come together to achieve a more stable electron configuration, typically resembling noble gases.
  • Unlike ionic bonding, where electrons are transferred, covalent bonds involve the sharing of electron pairs between atoms.
  • The shared electrons create a molecular structure, and the strength of the covalent bond depends on factors such as the number of shared electrons and the distance between the nuclei of the bonded atoms.

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Diatomic Elements

  • Diatomic elements are molecules composed of two atoms of the same element.
  • At room temperature, diatomic elements exist as gases

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Naming Covalent Compounds

  • Prefixes are used in the names of covalent compounds
  • Two non-metal can form two or more different compounds

  1. Name the first element: The element that appears first in the formula is named first. Use the element's full name.

  2. Name the second element: The second element is named by taking its root and adding the suffix "-ide." For example, oxygen becomes oxide, nitrogen becomes nitride, etc.

  3. Use prefixes for the number of atoms: To indicate the number of atoms of each element in the compound, use prefixes.

    For example, CO is carbon monoxide (one carbon atom and one oxygen atom), N2O is dinitrogen monoxide (two nitrogen atoms and one oxygen atom).

1 Mono 6 Hexa
2 Di 7 Octa
3 Tri 8 Hepta
4 Tetra 9 Nona
5 Penta 10 Deca
  1. Do not use "mono-" for the first element: If there is only one atom of the first element, you do not use the prefix "mono-." For example, CO2 is carbon dioxide (one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms).
  2. Use prefixes consistently: If both elements have a prefix, do not drop the prefix from the second element. For example, P4O10 is tetraphosphorus decaoxide.
  3. Consider alphabetical order: If two elements have the same prefix, the element that comes first in alphabetical order is named first. For example, N2O4 is dinitrogen tetroxide.