Ethio Sci Lab

Here are 10 basic reasoning questions about chemical bonding suitable for grade 11 students.

▎Questions

Question 1:
What type of bond is formed when electrons are transferred from one atom to another?

  
Question 2:
In a covalent bond, how do atoms achieve stability?

Question 3:
Why do noble gases rarely form bonds with other elements?

Question 4:
What is the main difference between ionic and covalent bonds in terms of electron behavior?

Question 5:
How does the electronegativity difference between two atoms determine the type of bond they will form?

Question 6:
What is a polar covalent bond, and how does it differ from a non polar covalent bond?

Question 7:
Explain why metals tend to form cations in ionic bonding.

Question 8:
What role do valence electrons play in chemical bonding?

Question 9:
How does the presence of lone pairs of electrons affect the shape of a molecule?

Question 10:
Why is it important to consider the octet rule when predicting how atoms will bond?

▎Answers

Answer 1:
An ionic bond is formed when electrons are transferred from one atom (usually a metal) to another atom (usually a nonmetal).

Answer 2:
In a covalent bond, atoms achieve stability by sharing electrons, allowing them to fill their outer electron shells.

Answer 3:
Noble gases have a full valence shell of electrons, which makes them stable and unreactive; they do not need to gain or lose electrons to achieve stability.

Answer 4:
Ionic bonds involve the transfer of electrons between atoms, resulting in charged ions, while covalent bonds involve the sharing of electrons between atoms.

Answer 5:
The greater the electronegativity difference between two atoms, the more likely they are to form an ionic bond; a small difference usually leads to covalent bonding.

Answer 6:
A polar covalent bond occurs when two atoms share electrons unequally due to a difference in electronegativity, leading to partial charges; a nonpolar covalent bond occurs when electrons are shared equally.

Answer 7:
Metals tend to form cations in ionic bonding because they have fewer valence electrons and can easily lose them to achieve a stable electron configuration.

Answer 8:
Valence electrons are the outermost electrons of an atom and are involved in forming bonds with other atoms; their arrangement determines how an atom will bond.

Answer 9:
Lone pairs of electrons repel other electron pairs, affecting the molecular geometry and shape according to VSEPR theory, leading to shapes like bent or trigonal pyramidal.

Answer 10:
The octet rule states that atoms tend to bond in such a way that they have eight electrons in their valence shell, leading to stability; this guides predictions about how atoms will interact and bond with one another.