Ionic Bonding

What if we react a K atom with a F atom?

+1 K [ F ]

--1

An ionic bond is formed by electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions

** Because KF contains an ionic bond, potassium fluoride is an ionic compound **

Features of Ionic Compounds: 1) If the compound contains a metal or the ammonium (NH4+ ) ion, it is probably an ionic compound (i.e. the bond with metal is most likely ionic) 2) All ionic compounds are solid at room temperature (Why? Because ionic bonds are generally very strong, so it takes a lot energy high temperature to overcome the strong electrostatic forces) 3) In solid ionic compounds, the component ions are packed together in regular 3-dimensional arrays called crystal lattices 4) Many ionic compounds are strong electrolytes: they dissolve in water to form solutions that are good conductors of electricity (good conductivity requires a large number of freely moving charges to carry current ; when an ionic compound dissolves, its compone nt ions are released into solution, where they can carry current) Ionic compounds in the molten (melted) state are also good conductors, because upon melting the ions are freed from their crystal lattice positions and can move freely

Covalent Bonding
What if we react a Cl atom with a Cl atom?

Cl

Cl

Cl Cl
A shared pair counts for BOTH atoms

** The shared paired forms a COVALENT bond between the Cl atoms ** ** The two Cl atoms bond covalently to form a Cl2 MOLECULE ** ** What is a molecule? It is an electrically neutral group of atoms joined by covalent bonds **

A good way to draw the Lewis dot structure for the Cl2 molecule is

Cl Cl

The single line represents a single covalent bond (one shared pair)

Features of Molecular (Covalent) Compounds: 1) If the compound contains only nonmetals or metalloids or both, it is most likely molecular 2) Many molecular compounds are liquids and gases at room temperature (Why? Because intermolecular forces the forces between molecules are usually much weaker than ionic bonds) 3) In general, molecular compounds are non-electrolytes: aqueous solutions of molecular compounds do not conduct electricity. Why? When dissolved (or melted, for that matter), molecules break away from each other, but individual molecules do not break up into ions (molecules stay together) Important exception: acids e.g. HCl(g), which dissolves in water to form HCl(aq), a strong acid which dissociates completely in water HCl(aq) H+ (aq) + Cl- (aq) Acetic acid, HC2H3O2, is a weak acid that only dissociates to a small extent, forming a weakly conducting solution