1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (2024)

Covalent Bonding

  • Covalent bonding occurs between two non-metals
  • A covalent bond involves the electrostatic attraction between nuclei of two atoms and the bonding electrons of their outer shells
  • No electrons are transferred but only shared in this type of bonding

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (1)

The positive nucleus of each atom has an attraction for the bonding electrons shared in the covalent bond

  • Non-metals are able to share pairs of electrons to form different types of covalent bonds
  • Sharing electrons in the covalent bond allows each of the 2 atoms to achieve an electron configuration similar to a noble gas
    • This makes each atom more stable

Covalent Bonds & Shared Electrons Table

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (2)

Dot & cross diagrams

  • Dot and cross diagrams are used to represent covalent bonding
  • They show just the outer shell of the atoms involved
  • To differentiate between the two atoms involved, dots for electrons of one atom and crosses for electrons of the other atom are used
  • Electrons are shown in pairs on dot-and-cross diagrams

Single covalent bonding

Hydrogen, H2

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (3)

Covalent bonding in hydrogen

Chlorine, Cl2

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (4)

Covalent bonding in chlorine

Hydrogen Chloride, HCl

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (5)

Covalent bonding in hydrogen chloride

Ammonia, NH3

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (6)

Covalent bonding in ammonia

Methane, CH4

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (7)

Covalent bonding in methane

Ethane, C2H6

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (8)

Covalent bonding in ethane

Double covalent bonding

Oxygen, O2

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (9)

Covalent bonding in oxygen

Carbon dioxide, CO2

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (10)

Covalent bonding in carbon dioxide

Triple covalent bonding

Nitrogen, N2

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (12)

Covalent bonding in nitrogen

  • In some instances, the central atom of a covalently bonded molecule can accommodate more or less than 8 electrons in its outer shell
  • Being able to accommodate more than 8 electrons in the outer shell is known as ‘expanding the octet rule’
  • Accommodating less than 8 electrons in the outer shell means than the central atom is ‘electron deficient’
  • Some examples of this occurring can be seen with period 3 elements

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (13)

Sulfur dioxide, SO2 – dot and cross diagram

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (14)

Phosphorus pentachloride, PCl5 – dot and cross diagram

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (15)

Sulfur hexafluoride, SF6 – dot and cross diagram

Exam Tip

Covalent bonding takes place between nonmetal atoms.

Remember: Use the periodic table to decide how many electrons are in the outer shell of a non-metal atom.

1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (16)

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    1.4.3 Covalent Bonding | AQA A Level Chemistry Revision Notes 2017 (2024)

    FAQs

    Which answer or answers best describe a covalent bond? ›

    Answer: A covalent bond involves two nonmetals that share electrons.

    What is the octet rule in a level chemistry? ›

    The Octet Rule requires all atoms in a molecule to have 8 valence electrons to become stable. Atoms can do so by sharing, losing or gain electrons in a chemical bond. As we said above, in covalent bond atoms share their electrons with each other to satisfy the Octet Rule.

    What is a dative bond in A-level chemistry? ›

    A coordinate bond (also called a dative covalent bond) is a covalent bond (a shared pair of electrons) in which both electrons come from the same atom. A covalent bond is formed by two atoms sharing a pair of electrons. The atoms are held together because the electron pair is attracted by both of the nuclei.

    What is a dative covalent bond (OCR) A level in chemistry? ›

    A dative covalent bond, or coordinate bond, is a bond where there is 1 pair of shared electrons between two atoms. The difference relative to a covalent bond is that in a dative covalent bond these electrons both come from one atom.An example of this is the ammonium ion, NH4+.

    What is a covalent bond short answer? ›

    A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electrons to form electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms, when they share electrons, is known as covalent bonding.

    Which statement best describes a covalent bond group of answer choices? ›

    Thus, the statement which correctly describes covalent bonding is (C), statement (3). Covalent bonding involves the sharing of electrons. The bonds that are formed are strong and require a lot of energy to break them.

    What is the 2 8 8 rule in chemistry? ›

    There is a 2-8-8 rule for these elements. The first shell is filled with 2 electrons, the second is filled with 8 electrons, and the third is filled with 8. You can see that sodium (Na) and magnesium (Mg) have a couple of extra electrons. They, like all atoms, want to be happy.

    Is the octet rule always 8? ›

    While most atoms obey the duet and octet rules, there are some exceptions. For example, elements such as boron or beryllium often form compounds in which the central atom is surrounded by fewer than eight electrons (e.g., BF₃ or BeH₂).

    What is the octet rule of a covalent bond? ›

    The octet rule refers to the tendency of atoms to prefer to have eight electrons in the valence shell. When atoms have fewer than eight electrons, they tend to react and form more stable compounds.

    Can H and C form a covalent bond? ›

    When they come into proximity of one another, the valence electrons of C will complete the valence of H atoms and vice versa. Because these atoms pull on the shared electrons with equal force, the bonds between C and H are nonpolar covalent bonds.

    What are five covalent compounds? ›

    Naming Covalent Compounds
    CompoundFormula
    Dinitrogen monoxideN2O
    Sulfur trioxideSO3
    Phosphorus trihydridePH3
    Carbon dioxideCO2

    How to identify a coordinate covalent bond? ›

    - The co-ordinate bond is weaker than ionic bonding, and the way to find coordination bonds whether present or not in a compound is through drawing the Lewis dot structure and checking if there is any possibility for the atom to form covalent bonds, if covalent bonds can't be formed then it will form coordinate bonds.

    What is a covalent bond in a level? ›

    A covalent bond is the bond formed between atoms that share electrons. Atoms share electrons to gain a full outer shell of electrons. Remember that they want to gain a full outer shell as this is when the atom is most stable and inert.

    How to identify a dative bond? ›

    A dative bond is also known as a dipolar bond or coordinate bond. In a diagram, a dative bond is indicated by drawing an arrow pointing from the atom that donates the lone electron pair toward the atom that accepts the pair. The arrow replaces the usual line that indicates a chemical bond.

    What is electronegativity in a level chemistry? ›

    Electronegativity. Every atom has electronegativity, which is defined as: The ability of an atom to attract the bonding electrons in a covalent bond towards itself. This 'power' is different for every atom depending on its ​size and nuclear charge​.

    Which is the best description of a covalent bond? ›

    Complete answer: The best depiction of a covalent bond is “Electrons are at the same time pulled in by more than one core". An orbital containing a single electron of another particle. In this way covalent bond includes sharing of electrons between two iotas.

    What best describes most covalent bonds? ›

    Not only ionic crystals but also many covalent crystals are fragile. While many metals are not brittle, some are. Therefore, Brittle best describes most covalent compounds.

    What best defines covalent bonds? ›

    A covalent bond is a bond in which atoms share one or more electrons. It is formed by two atoms sharing a pair of electrons (Table 1.2). Atoms can combine by sharing the unpaired electrons in their outermost shell.

    What is the best explanation of a covalent bond? ›

    Covalent bonds involve shared electron pairs between atoms. Each atom contributes one electron to each shared pair, and effectively gains an additional electron from the shared pair. Atoms share the same number of pairs needed to fill their valence shell, usually with eight.

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