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Elements of Life

Ionic, covalent, dative and metallic bonding and the four structures

  • 1 thing to know
  • Components 01, 02 and 03

Overview

Recall questions on what holds each type of bond together, dative covalent bonds, dot-and-cross diagrams, and the four structure types.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Numbers

What forces balance in a covalent bond, how are the ions arranged in a giant lattice, and why do covalent networks melt so high?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What holds atoms or ions together in any chemical bond?

    Model answer

    An electrostatic attraction between positively charged and negatively charged particles.

  2. 2

    Define ionic bonding.

    Model answer

    It is the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions, formed when one atom transfers electrons to another.

  3. 3

    Define a covalent bond.

    Model answer

    It is a shared pair of electrons held between two atoms by the attraction of both nuclei for the shared pair.

  4. 4

    What is a dative covalent bond, and give an example of a species containing one?

    Model answer

    It is a covalent bond in which both of the shared electrons come from the same atom, as in the ammonium ion NH₄⁺, where the nitrogen lone pair is donated to an H⁺ ion.

  5. 5

    In a ‘dot-and-cross’ diagram, why are dots and crosses used rather than identical symbols?

    Model answer

    They show which atom each electron originally came from, while making it clear that in a covalent bond the electrons are shared between the two atoms.

  6. 6

    What would a ‘dot-and-cross’ diagram for sodium chloride show?

    Model answer

    It shows a sodium ion with an empty outer shell drawn as Na⁺ and a chloride ion with eight outer electrons in square brackets carrying a single negative charge, the extra electron having come from the sodium.

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A acid is formed.
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A3 ⁴₂He → ¹²₆C.
B¹²₆C + ⁴₂He → ¹⁶₈O.
C¹⁶₈O + ⁴₂He → ²⁰₁₀Ne.

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Nitrogen is +2 in NO and +4 in NO₂.
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