Get Bonding Basics Worksheet

We should start with the atoms that have atomic numbers between 1 and 18. 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.

There are two idealized types of bonding: (1) covalent bonding, in which electrons are shared between atoms in a molecule or polyatomic ion, and (2) ionic bonding, in which positively and negatively charged ions are held together by electrostatic forces.

There are four types of chemical bonds essential for life to exist: Ionic Bonds, Covalent Bonds, Hydrogen Bonds, and van der Waals interactions. We need all of these different kinds of bonds to play various roles in biochemical interactions.

However, when a fourth bond is attempted, the overcrowded electrons between the atoms resist the change so strongly that it requires little, if any, energy. This arrangement is therefore unstable, so a quadruple bond will be essentially impossible.

A quadruple bond is a type of chemical bond between two atoms involving eight electrons. This bond is an extension of the more familiar types double bonds and triple bonds.

When not bonded to other atoms, carbon possesses four electrons in its valence shell. Therefore, based on the octet rule, carbon can form four covalent bonds with other atoms. This enables carbon to share four pairs of electrons to create an energetically stable atom.

The octet rule is a chemical rule of thumb that reflects the theory that main-group elements tend to bond in such a way that each atom has eight electrons in its valence shell, giving it the same electronic configuration as a noble gas.

The properties of a solid can usually be predicted from the valence and bonding preferences of its constituent atoms. Four main bonding types are discussed here: ionic, covalent, metallic, and molecular.