http://www.ck12.org Chapter 9. Covalent Bonding
CHAPTER
(^9) Covalent Bonding
Chapter Outline
9.1 Lewis Electron Dot Structures
9.2 MOLECULARGEOMETRY
9.3 POLARITY ANDINTERMOLECULARFORCES
9.4 HYBRIDIZATION OFATOMICORBITALS
9.5 REFERENCES
The physical and chemical properties of elements and compounds are a function of their structures. As we have seen
in previous chapters, ions form when electrons are transferred from one atom to another. The crystalline structure
and specific properties of ionic compounds are related to the nature of the ionic bond. Molecular compounds form
in a completely different way. As you will learn in this chapter, atoms are also capable of forming chemical bonds
by sharing electrons. There are specific guidelines that can be used to determine the ways in which this sharing
occurs and the shapes of the molecules that result. The picture above is an electron density map of a water molecule,
which has a bent shape. The red color is indicative of high electron density, while the blue color is indicative of low
electron density.
Ben Mills(U ser:Ben jah−bmm 27 /Wikimedia Commons).commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Water−el pot−trans parent− 3 D−balls.png.Public Domain.