BIOL 102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Unpaired Electron, Chemical Polarity, Electronegativity
Document Summary
2. 2 chemical bonds that create and stabilize molecules. Molecular formula: given formula for any molecule (ex. Compound: molecule made of two or more different elements (ex. Covalent bond: a bond in which atoms share a pair of electrons if their outer shell is not full; this bond is strong, as the electrons act as if they belong to both atoms. Each element has a characteristic number of covalent bonds it can form with other atoms depending on the amount of valence electrons it has. Double bonds occur when the atoms share two pairs of electrons rather than one pair. Some atoms attract shared electrons more readily than others. Electronegativity: the measure of an atom"s ability to attract electrons in a bond; Polar covalent bond: a covalent bond in which an electron"s orbit is closer to the atom with a higher electronegativity than the atom with lower electronegativity (skewed distribution of electrons)