Competency #6
Answer and Explanation
Which of the following statements describe a covalent bond (there is more than 1 correct answer)?
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| — |  | Involves the attraction of two oppositely charged ions. |
| Ionic bonding involves the attraction of two oppositely charged ions. | ||
 | — | Involves the sharing of electrons |
| Yes, when two atoms are simultaneously using two electrons. It can also be thought of as the overlap of the outer electron shells, such that some of the electrons appear to be in the outer shell of both atoms. | ||
 | — | Occurs when atoms try to fill their outer electron shells |
| Yes, ionic and covalent bonds occur in such a way that the outer electron shells of the atoms are full, which is a more stable configuration. | ||
 | — | Involves the mutual attraction for 2, 4, or 6 electrons |
| Yes, ‘mutual attraction' is just another way to say that electrons are shared. 2 electrons are shared in a single covalent bond (e.g. Cl 2), while 4 electrons are shared in a double covalent bond (e.g. O2 ) and 6 are shared in a triple covalent bond (e.g. CO). | ||
| — |  | It is a very weak inter-molecular attraction |
| Covalent bonds are quite strong intra-molecular bonds. On the other hand, hydrogen bonds, Van der Waals forces, and dipole-dipole attractions are weak inter-molecular forces. Note: ‘inter' means ‘between' while ‘intra' mean ‘within.' | ||
| — |  | Can occur between a metal and a non-metal |
| Non-metals have a strong attraction to electrons, while metals have a weak attraction to electrons. Thus, a metal tends to give electrons away to a non-metal, rather than share the electrons. | ||
| — |  | Can occur between two metals |
| Metallic bonds are the type of attraction that hold metal atoms to metal atoms. | ||
 | — | Can occur between two non-metals |
| Non-metals have a strong attraction to electrons. Thus, they do not wish to give any of their electrons away. However, to fill their outer electron shells, they will share some of their electrons with another non-metal. This sharing occurs in such a way that the outer shell of each atom appears to be full. | ||
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