IGCSE Chemistry: Chemical Bonding

Worksheet

Key Facts

Types of Chemical Bonding

 Chemical bonding involves the attraction between atoms that holds them
together in elements and compounds.
 The three main types of chemical bonding are ionic, covalent, and metallic
bonding.
 The type of bonding depends on the elements involved and their electron
arrangements.
 Atoms form bonds to achieve a stable electron configuration, usually by having a
full outer shell (octet rule).

Ionic Bonding

 Ionic bonding occurs between metals and non-metals.

 It involves the transfer of electrons from metal atoms to non-metal atoms.
 Metal atoms lose electrons to form positive ions (cations).
 Non-metal atoms gain electrons to form negative ions (anions).
 The oppositely charged ions are attracted to each other by strong electrostatic
forces.
 Ionic compounds form giant ionic lattices with regular arrangements of ions.
 Properties of ionic compounds:
 High melting and boiling points due to strong electrostatic forces
 Conduct electricity when molten or in aqueous solution (not when solid)
 Usually soluble in water but insoluble in organic solvents
  Typically form crystals

Covalent Bonding

 Covalent bonding occurs between non-metal atoms.

 It involves the sharing of pairs of electrons between atoms.
 Each shared pair of electrons forms a covalent bond.
 Atoms share electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.
 Covalent bonds can be single (one shared pair), double (two shared pairs), or
triple (three shared pairs).
 Covalent compounds can form:
 Simple molecular structures (e.g., H2O, CO2, CH4)
 Low melting and boiling points due to weak intermolecular forces
 Do not conduct electricity
 Usually gases, liquids, or low-melting-point solids
 Giant covalent structures (e.g., diamond, graphite, silicon dioxide)
 High melting and boiling points due to strong covalent bonds
 Usually do not conduct electricity (except graphite)
 Hard and rigid (except graphite, which is soft and slippery)

Metallic Bonding

 Metallic bonding occurs in metals.

 Metal atoms lose their outer electrons to form a "sea" of delocalized electrons.
 Positive metal ions are held together by attraction to this electron sea.
 Properties of metals due to metallic bonding:
 Good conductors of heat and electricity (due to mobile electrons)
 Malleable and ductile (can be hammered into shapes or drawn into wires)
 High melting and boiling points (except for Group 1 metals)
 Shiny appearance (electrons reflect light)

Electronegativity and Bond Polarity

 Electronegativity is the ability of an atom to attract the shared pair of electrons in

a covalent bond.
 Electronegativity increases across a period and decreases down a group in the
Periodic Table.
  When atoms of different electronegativities form a covalent bond, the shared
electrons are pulled toward the more electronegative atom.
 This creates a polar bond with partial positive (δ+) and partial negative (δ-)
charges.
 If the electronegativity difference is very large, electron transfer occurs (ionic
bonding).
 If the electronegativity difference is small or zero, the bond is non-polar covalent.

Intermolecular Forces

 Intermolecular forces are attractions between molecules (not within molecules).

 They are much weaker than ionic, covalent, or metallic bonds.
 Types of intermolecular forces (in order of increasing strength):
 Van der Waals forces (weakest, present between all molecules)
 Dipole-dipole forces (between polar molecules)
 Hydrogen bonding (strongest, between molecules containing H bonded to
F, O, or N)
 Intermolecular forces affect physical properties such as melting point, boiling
point, and solubility.

Guide Questions

Section A: Multiple Choice

1. Which type of bonding involves the transfer of electrons from one atom to another?

a) Covalent bonding

b) Ionic bonding

c) Metallic bonding

d) Hydrogen bonding

2. Which of the following compounds is likely to have the highest melting point?

a) CH4 (methane)

b) MgO (magnesium oxide)

c) C2H5OH (ethanol)

d) Cl2 (chlorine)

3. Which of the following is NOT a property of ionic compounds?

a) High melting points

b) Conduct electricity when solid

c) Form crystals

d) Dissolve in water

4. In which of the following substances is metallic bonding present?

a) Diamond

b) Sodium chloride

c) Copper

d) Carbon dioxide

5. Which type of structure does graphite have?

a) Simple molecular

b) Giant ionic

c) Giant metallic

d) Giant covalent

Section B: Short Answer Questions

6. Draw dot-and-cross diagrams to show the bonding in:

a) Sodium chloride (NaCl)

b) Water (H2O)

c) Nitrogen (N2)
7. Explain why graphite can conduct electricity but diamond cannot, even though both

are forms of carbon.

8. Magnesium oxide (MgO) has a melting point of 2852°C, while carbon dioxide (CO2)

has a melting point of -57°C.

a) Identify the type of bonding in each compound

b) Explain the large difference in melting points in terms of their structure and bonding

9. Explain how the properties of metals (malleability, ductility, and electrical conductivity)

are related to metallic bonding.

10. The boiling points of the hydrogen halides are: HF (19.5°C), HCl (-85°C), HBr (-

67°C), and HI (-35°C).

a) Explain why HF has a much higher boiling point than the others

b) Explain the trend in boiling points from HCl to HI

Model Answers

Section A: Multiple Choice

1. b) Ionic bonding

2. b) MgO (magnesium oxide)

3. b) Conduct electricity when solid

4. c) Copper

5. d) Giant covalent
Section B: Short Answer Questions

6. Model Answer:

a) Sodium chloride (NaCl):

Sodium (Na) has electron arrangement 2,8,1. It loses one electron to form Na+ with

arrangement 2,8.

Chlorine (Cl) has electron arrangement 2,8,7. It gains one electron to form Cl- with

arrangement 2,8,8.

The ions are held together by electrostatic attraction.

b) Water (H2O):

Oxygen (O) has electron arrangement 2,6. It shares one electron with each of two

hydrogen atoms.

Each hydrogen (H) has electron arrangement 1. It shares its electron with oxygen.

This forms two single covalent bonds, with oxygen achieving the arrangement 2,8 and

each hydrogen achieving 2.

c) Nitrogen (N2):

Each nitrogen atom has electron arrangement 2,5. Each atom shares three electrons

with the other nitrogen atom.

This forms a triple covalent bond (three shared pairs), with each nitrogen achieving the

arrangement 2,8.

7. Model Answer: Both diamond and graphite are forms of carbon with giant covalent

structures, but they have different arrangements of atoms. In diamond, each carbon

atom forms four strong covalent bonds with other carbon atoms in a tetrahedral

arrangement, creating a rigid three-dimensional structure. All the electrons are used in
bonding, so there are no free electrons to carry electric current, making diamond an

electrical insulator.

In graphite, each carbon atom forms only three covalent bonds with other carbon atoms

in a hexagonal arrangement, creating flat layers. The fourth electron from each carbon

atom becomes delocalized and can move freely between the layers. These delocalized

electrons can carry electric current, making graphite a good electrical conductor. This

difference in structure explains why graphite can conduct electricity while diamond

cannot.

8. Model Answer:

a) Magnesium oxide (MgO) has ionic bonding.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has covalent bonding and forms simple molecular structures.

b) Magnesium oxide has a very high melting point (2852°C) because it forms a giant

ionic lattice structure. The strong electrostatic forces of attraction between the oppositely

charged Mg2+ and O2- ions require a large amount of energy to overcome, resulting in a

high melting point.

Carbon dioxide has a very low melting point (-57°C) because it forms simple molecular

structures. The covalent bonds within each CO2 molecule are strong, but the forces

between molecules (intermolecular forces) are weak van der Waals forces. These weak

forces require little energy to overcome, resulting in a low melting point. When CO 2 melts

or boils, it's these intermolecular forces that are broken, not the covalent bonds within

the molecules.

9. Model Answer: The properties of metals can be explained by their metallic bonding

structure:
Malleability and ductility: In metals, the positive metal ions are arranged in layers and

are held together by attraction to the "sea" of delocalized electrons. When force is

applied, these layers of positive ions can slide over each other without breaking the

metallic bonds, as the electron sea continues to hold the structure together. This allows

metals to be hammered into different shapes (malleability) or drawn into wires (ductility)

without fracturing.

Electrical conductivity: The delocalized electrons in the "electron sea" are free to

move throughout the metal structure. When a potential difference (voltage) is applied

across a metal, these mobile electrons can flow as an electric current. This makes

metals good conductors of electricity.

Thermal conductivity: The mobile electrons can also transfer kinetic energy (heat)

rapidly through the metal, making metals good conductors of heat as well.

10. Model Answer:

a) HF has a much higher boiling point than the other hydrogen halides because it can

form hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonding occurs when hydrogen is bonded to a highly

electronegative element (F, O, or N). The H-F bond is highly polar, with the hydrogen

atom having a partial positive charge and the fluorine atom having a partial negative

charge. This allows hydrogen bonds to form between the hydrogen atom of one HF

molecule and the fluorine atom of another. Hydrogen bonds are much stronger than the

van der Waals forces or dipole-dipole interactions present in the other hydrogen halides,

resulting in a higher boiling point for HF.

b) The trend in boiling points from HCl to HI (increasing from HCl to HI) can be explained

by the increasing strength of van der Waals forces. As we move down Group 7 from

chlorine to iodine, the atoms become larger with more electrons, making them more
polarizable. This increases the strength of the van der Waals forces between molecules,

requiring more energy to overcome these forces during boiling. Therefore, the boiling

points increase in the order HCl < HBr < HI.