Bond Characteristics

Chemical bonding is the attraction between atoms that results in a chemical bond. The bond between two atoms causes a molecule to be a substance, i.e., without a chemical bond, a molecule would not be a substance. A chemical bond is a strong interaction between two or more atoms. The bond holds the atoms together and gives them a strong enough attraction that also allows them to be separated. This separation is known as diffusion, in which the atoms can be moved around or changed into different chemical compounds.

The bond between the atoms gives a substance its chemical properties. The strength of a material, i.e., the ability to resist breaking, is determined by its chemical bonds. These bonds hold the molecules of any material together and determine its strength and hardness. Specifically, the strength of a material is determined by the number of covalent bonds it contains, the strength of these bonds, and the distance between them. The more covalent bonds a material has, the stronger it is.

Types of Chemical Bonding

There are five primary types of chemical bonds in chemistry:

• Ionic bond
• Covalent bond
• Coordinate bond
• Metallic bond
• Hydrogen bond

With the help of these bonds, the constituents like atoms and molecules can obtain a stable electronic configuration, i.e., octet configuration.

Characteristics of Coordinate Bonds

Coordinate bonds are bonds with two or more covalent bonds. Their name derives from having either one covalent bond or several covalent bonds that share a common coordinate. In organic chemistry, the most common coordinate bond is a single bond between a carbon atom and a non-metal atom, such as the hydrogen atom.

The bonds in an atom are coordinate bonds (or covalent bonds) because of their formation by a single pair of electrons. This type of bond is a directional bond, where the electrons that form the bond are located on two different atomic nuclei. 

An example of a coordinate bond is the relationship between a hydrogen ion and an electron pair between hydrogen and the ammonia molecule. The ammonium ion is formed by transferring a proton ion to the pair of electrons in the ammonium molecule.

Bonded coordinates or dative bonds are defined as σ-bonding interaction between the electronegative atom (σ is the Pauli exclusion principle) and the π-electron system of an aromatic ring. Dative bonds are present in compound molecules like acetylene and sulphur dioxide.

Example 1

A hydrogen ion transforms from the chlorine to one of the lone pairs on the oxygen atom. The ion H3O+ is also known as the hydroxonium ion, hydronium ion, or oxonium ion. In an introductory chemistry course, you’re talking about the hydroxonium ion when you talk about hydrogen ions (for example, in acids). A proton is all that a raw hydrogen ion, and it’s far too reactive to exist in a test tube.

When the hydrogen ion is written as  H+ (aq), the ” (aq) ” stands for the water molecule to which the hydrogen ion is linked. When it reacts with something (like an alkali), the hydrogen ion separates from the water molecule once more. It’s worth noting that after the coordinate bond is established, all hydrogens connected to the oxygen are identical.

Example 2

Boron trifluoride is a chemical in which the boron atom is not surrounded by a noble gas structure (a notorious “octet violator”). There are only three pairs of electrons at the bonding level of boron when there should be four. The electron deficiency of BF3

 is described. A compound comprising a coordinating bond can be produced by using the lone pair on the nitrogen of an ammonia molecule to overcome that lack.

Characteristics of Covalent Bonds

In a covalent bond, two atoms share an electron pair; each atom essentially takes responsibility for one of the pairs. The positive charges cancel the shared pair’s negative charge in their nuclei.

The shared electron pair is like the third wheel in a romantic triangle – it makes both partners feel wanted. A shared electron pair is more stable than two electrons flying solo—it has lower energy. And when two atoms form a team to get that lower energy, they form a molecule—a covalent bond—and are chemically bonded together.

Examples: Oxygen, Chlorine, Water, Hydrochloric acid

Conclusion

The molecules and compounds that make up our world are held together by chemical bonds. The stronger the bonds, the stronger the material. But not all bonds are equal. Some are stronger than others, and others are stronger in certain circumstances. There are primarily five types of chemical bonds: ionic, coordinate, covalent, metallic, and hydrogen. We also discussed the electronic theory of chemical bonding, in which a chemical bond is formed between atoms to get the nearest inert gas configuration. This can be achieved by either losing or gaining or sharing electrons.