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Chapter 2: Problem 10

Describe the covalent-bonding process between a pair of hydrogen atoms. What is the driving energy for the formation of a diatomic molecule?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The hydrogen atoms share electrons to form a covalent bond, reducing the system's potential energy and creating a stable diatomic hydrogen molecule (H2).

Step by step solution

01

Understand Covalent Bonding

Covalent bonding occurs when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons to achieve a full outer electron shell, which makes them more stable.
02

Analyze Hydrogen Atoms

Each hydrogen atom has one electron and needs one more to complete its outer shell (achieve the electron configuration of helium).
03

Electron Sharing

When two hydrogen atoms come close, they share their electrons, allowing both atoms to have access to two electrons and thus filling their outer shells.
04

Formation of a Diatomic Molecule

The shared electron pair creates a covalent bond between the two hydrogen atoms, forming a diatomic hydrogen molecule (H2).
05

Driving Energy

The driving energy for the formation of the diatomic molecule is the potential energy reduction. As the hydrogen atoms bond covalently, the system's overall energy decreases, making the molecule more stable.

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Key Concepts

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

Covalent Bond
A covalent bond forms when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons. In the case of hydrogen atoms, each atom has one electron. By sharing these electrons, both atoms can fill their outer electron shell.
This shared electron pair acts like glue, holding the atoms together.
Covalent bonds create a stable balance between the attractive and repulsive forces of the atoms.
Electron Sharing
Electron sharing occurs when two atoms get close enough to share their electrons. For hydrogen atoms, each one wants to follow the 'octet rule' (or 'duet rule' for small atoms). This means each atom aims to have two electrons in its outer shell.
When hydrogen atoms share their electrons, each atom gains access to both electrons. This sharing completes their outer shells and leads to a stable configuration.
Diatomic Molecule
A diatomic molecule consists of two atoms bonded together. In our case with hydrogen, when two hydrogen atoms share electrons, they form a diatomic H2 molecule.
This molecule is stable because the shared electron pair makes a strong covalent bond. Many elements, like oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N2), also form diatomic molecules naturally.
Potential Energy Reduction
Potential energy reduction is a key reason why atoms form covalent bonds. When hydrogen atoms bond to form an H2 molecule, the system's overall potential energy decreases.
Lower potential energy means a more stable arrangement. This drives the bonding process, as nature favors more stable, lower-energy states.
Outer Electron Shell
The outer electron shell is the outermost layer of electrons around an atom. There is a rule called the 'octet rule,' which says atoms are most stable when they have eight electrons in their outer shell.
For hydrogen, however, the goal is to have two electrons in its outer shell to be like helium. When hydrogen atoms share electrons, they effectively fill their outer shells, leading to greater stability.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Explain with suitable examples the ionic, covalent, metallic and molecular type of bonding in solids.

Define an electric dipole moment. Describe fluctuating dipole bonding among the atoms of the noblegas neon Of a choice between the noble gases krypton and xenon, whieh noble gas would be expected to have the strongest dipole bonding and why?

Describe the metallic bonding process among an aggregate of copper atoms.

The potential energy of a diatomic molecule in terms of interatomic distance R is given by $$ U(R)=-\frac{a}{R^{\mathrm{m}}}+\frac{b}{R^{n}} $$ ia) Derive an expression for the equilibrium spacing of the atoms and hence obtain the dissociation (b, Explain die impose of equilibrium spacing as die configure, ion of lower, polcn.inl energy and hence obtain an expression for the dissociation energy of the atoms (c ) Prove n > m for U( R ) to be minimum at R = Rc

Describe the covalent-bonding electron arrangement in the following diatomic molecules: (a) fluorine, ( b) oxygen, (c) nitrogen.
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