Key Terms

axial position

location in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry in which there is another atom at a 180° angle and the equatorial positions are at a 90° angle

binary acid

compound that contains hydrogen and one other element, bonded in a way that imparts acidic properties to the compound (ability to release H⁺ ions when dissolved in water)

binary compound

compound containing two different elements.

bond angle

angle between any two covalent bonds that share a common atom

bond dipole moment

separation of charge in a bond that depends on the difference in electronegativity and the bond distance represented by partial charges or a vector

bond distance

(also, bond length) distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms

bond length

distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms at which the lowest potential energy is achieved

covalent bond

bond formed when electrons are shared between atoms

dipole moment

property of a molecule that describes the separation of charge determined by the sum of the individual bond moments based on the molecular structure

double bond

covalent bond in which two pairs of electrons are shared between two atoms

electron-pair geometry

arrangement around a central atom of all regions of electron density (bonds, lone pairs, or unpaired electrons)

electronegativity

tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a bond to itself

equatorial position

one of the three positions in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry with 120° angles between them; the axial positions are located at a 90° angle

formal charge

charge that would result on an atom by taking the number of valence electrons on the neutral atom and subtracting the nonbonding electrons and the number of bonds (one-half of the bonding electrons)

free radical

molecule that contains an odd number of electrons

hypervalent molecule

molecule containing at least one main group element that has more than eight electrons in its valence shell

inert pair effect

tendency of heavy atoms to form ions in which their valence s electrons are not lost

ionic bond

strong electrostatic force of attraction between cations and anions in an ionic compound

Lewis structure

diagram showing lone pairs and bonding pairs of electrons in a molecule or an ion

Lewis symbol

symbol for an element or monatomic ion that uses a dot to represent each valence electron in the element or ion

linear

shape in which two outside groups are placed on opposite sides of a central atom

lone pair

two (a pair of) valence electrons that are not used to form a covalent bond

molecular structure

arrangement of atoms in a molecule or ion

molecular structure

structure that includes only the placement of the atoms in the molecule

nomenclature

system of rules for naming objects of interest

octahedral

shape in which six outside groups are placed around a central atom such that a three-dimensional shape is generated with four groups forming a square and the other two forming the apex of two pyramids, one above and one below the square plane

octet rule

guideline that states main group atoms will form structures in which eight valence electrons interact with each nucleus, counting bonding electrons as interacting with both atoms connected by the bond

oxyacid

compound that contains hydrogen, oxygen, and one other element, bonded in a way that imparts acidic properties to the compound (ability to release H⁺ ions when dissolved in water)

polar covalent bond

covalent bond between atoms of different electronegativities; a covalent bond with a positive end and a negative end

polar molecule

(also, dipole) molecule with an overall dipole moment

pure covalent bond

(also, nonpolar covalent bond) covalent bond between atoms of identical electronegativities

resonance

situation in which one Lewis structure is insufficient to describe the bonding in a molecule and the average of multiple structures is observed

resonance forms

two or more Lewis structures that have the same arrangement of atoms but different arrangements of electrons

resonance hybrid

average of the resonance forms shown by the individual Lewis structures

single bond

bond in which a single pair of electrons is shared between two atoms

tetrahedral

shape in which four outside groups are placed around a central atom such that a three-dimensional shape is generated with four corners and 109.5° angles between each pair and the central atom

trigonal bipyramidal

shape in which five outside groups are placed around a central atom such that three form a flat triangle with 120° angles between each pair and the central atom, and the other two form the apex of two pyramids, one above and one below the triangular plane

trigonal planar

shape in which three outside groups are placed in a flat triangle around a central atom with 120° angles between each pair and the central atom

triple bond

bond in which three pairs of electrons are shared between two atoms

valence shell electron-pair repulsion theory (VSEPR)

theory used to predict the bond angles in a molecule based on positioning regions of high electron density as far apart as possible to minimize electrostatic repulsion

vector

quantity having magnitude and direction