Chapter 5: Problem 23

Determine if a bond between each pair of atoms would be pure covalent, polar covalent, or ionic. a. Br and Br b. C and Cl c. C and S d. Sr and O

Short Answer

Expert verified

a. Br-Br bond is pure covalent, b. C-Cl bond is polar covalent, c. C-S bond is polar covalent, d. Sr-O bond is ionic.

Step by step solution

Identify Bond Types - Br and Br

To determine if a bond is pure covalent, polar covalent, or ionic, we must consider the electronegativity difference between the bonding atoms. For Br and Br, the atoms are identical, so there's no electronegativity difference. This results in a pure covalent bond.

Identify Bond Types - C and Cl

Carbon (C) and Chlorine (Cl) have different electronegativities. Chlorine is more electronegative than carbon, but the difference is not large enough to form an ionic bond. Instead, the C-Cl bond is a polar covalent bond.

Identify Bond Types - C and S

The electronegativity difference between Carbon (C) and Sulfur (S) is relatively small, although sulfur is slightly more electronegative. This small difference results in a polar covalent bond.

Identify Bond Types - Sr and O

Strontium (Sr) and Oxygen (O) have a significant difference in electronegativity, with oxygen being much more electronegative. This large difference generally leads to the electron transfer from Sr to O, forming an ionic bond.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Electronegativity

Electronegativity is a concept that helps us understand the behavior of atoms when they bond with each other.

It refers to the tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself when it is in a chemical bond. Think of it like a game of tug-of-war, where each atom is a player and the electrons are the rope. The strength of each player determines how far the rope will move, and in the atomic world, that strength is determined by electronegativity.

Atoms like Fluorine have high electronegativity, and they're excellent at attracting electrons.
Atoms such as Francium have low electronegativity and do not hold onto electrons as tightly.

The differences in electronegativity between atoms help determine the type of bond they will form, which can be pure covalent, polar covalent, or ionic.

Covalent Bond

A covalent bond is a type of chemical bond where atoms share electrons equally.

This usually occurs between two non-metal atoms with similar electronegativities, and they agree to share the 'rope' in our tug-of-war analogy. An example is the bond between two bromine atoms (Br and Br). Since they are identical players, neither has a strength advantage, and they share the electrons (the rope) equally, leading to what we call a pure covalent bond.

Pure covalent bonds are also known as nonpolar bonds.
These bonds typically result in molecules where electrons are shared evenly, resulting in no charge separation.

Polar Covalent Bond

When the tug-of-war happens between two different players with varying strength, but the difference isn't overwhelming, we get a polar covalent bond.

Think of it as a slight imbalance in electron sharing. One atom pulls the shared electrons closer to itself because it's a bit stronger (more electronegative) than its partner. This leads to a scenario where one end of the bond is slightly negative and the other end is slightly positive. Bonds between carbon (C) and chlorine (Cl), or carbon (C) and sulfur (S), demonstrate this polar covalent bonding.

The molecule ends up having partial charges, which can affect its physical and chemical properties.
A polar covalent bond is the middle ground between a pure covalent bond and an ionic bond.

Ionic Bond

An ionic bond is more like a game of 'tug-of-war' where one player is so much stronger that he takes the rope away from the other player.

In atomic terms, this happens when the electronegativity difference between the atoms is so great that one atom can take an electron away from the other. This is what occurs between strontium (Sr) and oxygen (O), where the oxygen atom, being highly electronegative, takes away electrons from the less electronegative strontium atom, creating an ionic compound.

As a result, the atoms become ions, with one having a negative charge and the other having a positive charge.
This complete transfer of electrons leads to the strong electrostatic forces that bind the ions together in an ionic compound.

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Determine if a bond between each pair of atoms would be pure covalent, polar covalent, or ionic. a. Br and Br b. C and Cl c. C and S d. Sr and O

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Identify Bond Types - Br and Br

Identify Bond Types - C and Cl

Identify Bond Types - C and S

Identify Bond Types - Sr and O

Key Concepts

Electronegativity

Covalent Bond

Polar Covalent Bond

Ionic Bond

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