Structure of Chemical Bonds

Chemical bonds are as simple as they sound. Chemical bonds are what hold atoms together. They are like the glue that holds paper together. 

Chemical bonds hold atoms together to form molecules and compounds. These are made of the electrostatic force between oppositely charged ions. Two ions or atoms of the same charge can’t bond.

Chemical bonds formed with the atoms at the outermost shell attract more atoms.When there is the bonding between two atoms, it only affects the outer shells of the two atoms that are connected.

Remember the rule that unlike poles attract and like poles repel? It works here too. A simple normal chemical bond happens when a negative or positive atom is attracted to the oppositely charged atom.The force between them is a chemical bond.

Types of chemical bonds

There are many types of chemical bonds discovered and recorded but majorly, there are four types and that’s what we will look at:

• Electrovalent bond: This bond is also called an ionic bond. This type of chemical bonding features the transfer of electrons from metallic atoms to non-metallic atoms. The metallic atoms transfer valence electrons to the non-metallic atoms.  When this transfer has been made, the metallic atoms become positively charged while the non-metallic atoms become negatively charged. An example of electrovalent compounds is magnesium chloride and magnesium oxide.

• Covalent bond: in this type of chemical bond, the electrons are shared and not transferred. This is how it works: the atoms involved contribute an electron to make a pair of electrons. The pair of electrons are then shared by the two atoms. This is the attraction between the two atoms. Sharing of atoms happens between atoms with the same number of elements. An example is Methane molecule(CH4)

• Metallic bond: This type of chemical bond doesn’t share or transfer. It comes from electrostatic force. This force is found between conduction electrons and positively charged ions. Positively charged ions can’t pair with other ions to form molecules because they exert their force in all directions. The electrons take the structure of a cloud around the positively charged ions, bonding them. Example, graphene.

• Hydrogen bond: This type of chemical bond uses what is known as the dipole-dipole attraction to connect atoms. It makes use of a hydrogen atom and an electronegative atom. The two atoms bond together covalently. It will then change it to a positive charge. This new molecule is then bound again with an electronegative atom to get the hydrogen bond. A good example of the hydrogen bond is water and its freezing process to become ice. 

Factors Affecting Chemical bonds

Some factors affecting chemical bonds are; 

• The charge of the cation and anion 
• The size of the action and anion
• The electronegativity difference 
• High Ionization energy.
• Equal electron affinity.
• Number of valence electrons.

Some characteristics of chemical bonds are; bond length and bond enthalpy.

Theories associated with chemical bonding

Lewis Gilbert: Based on the inertness of noble gas, Lewis stated that;

• Only 8 electrons can be accommodated in the outer shell. That’s the maximum
• The valency of an element is equal to the number of dots in the Lewis symbol.
• Only the valence electrons take part in the formation of chemical bonds.

Albrecht Kossel: Based on the inertness of noble gas, kossel stated that;

• The highly electronegative halogens are separated by noble gas.
• Halogens form negatively charged ions by gaining electrons.
• Alkali metals form positively charged ions by losing an electron.

Structure of chemical bonds

The structure of chemical bonds is of two types. The structure of chemical bonds can be either intramolecular or intermolecular:

• Intramolecular chemical structure: in this structure, the bonds are joined together to form molecules or compounds. The properties of the atoms determine the properties of the elements of the molecules. These bonds are ionic or electrovalent. Intramolecular chemical bonds are also called interatomic chemical structures.
• Intermolecular chemical structure: in this type of structure, the bonds exist between separate molecules. The strength of the bonds depends on how close the molecules are and the type of charges they carry. The strength of this bond also determines its physical properties like state of matter, viscosity, boiling point, and others.

Conclusion

Chemical bonds are what hold atoms together. When two atoms are bonded, they become a molecule of a compound. Bonding can only happen through the outer shell of atoms. There are types of chemical bonds. The ionic and covalent bonds are the most common. Ionic or electrovalent bonds use the method of transfer of electrons to connect a metallic atom to a non-metallic atom. Covalent bonds are formed when two atoms contribute an electron each so that they connect by attraction. A metallic bond makes use of electrostatic force to attract positively charged atoms or ions. This creates a kind of cloud that holds other ions in place. We also mentioned the structure of chemical bonds. They can be intramolecular meaning that two atoms fuse to become a molecule. Or they can be intermolecular meaning that they exist between molecules as a result of the force of attraction.