Chemical Bonding and Structure
Ionic and covalent bonding, structure–property links, metals and alloys.
The lessons below are in teaching order. Work through them in turn, then come back after practice and use the outcomes on this page to choose what to review. Finishing a topic records participation only. Check your progress to see what you can answer independently and what to review next.
Lessons in order
- Ionic bonding and ionic structures
Track electron transfer, ion charges and simplest formula ratios, then explain the attraction in an ionic lattice.
- Covalent bonding and molecular structures
Construct shared pairs and lone pairs while conserving every outer electron.
- Structure–property links, metals and alloys
Use particle models and supplied observations to explain properties and choose materials.
Learning goals
- describe the formation of ions by electron loss/gain and that these ions usually have the electronic configuration of a noble gas
- describe, including the use of ‘dot-and-cross’ diagrams, the formation of ionic bonds between metals and non-metals, e.g. NaCl; MgCl2
- describe the formation of a covalent bond by the sharing of a pair of electrons and that the atoms in the molecules usually have the electronic configuration of a noble gas
- describe, using ‘dot-and-cross’ diagrams, the formation of covalent bonds between non-metallic elements, e.g. H2; O2; H2O; CH4; CO2
- deduce the arrangement of electrons in other covalent molecules
- relate the physical properties (including electrical property) of ionic compounds to their lattice structure.
- relate the physical properties (including electrical property) of covalent substances to their structure and bonding.
- describe the differences between elements, compounds and mixtures
- describe the general physical properties of metals as solids having high melting and boiling points, malleable and good conductors of heat and electricity
- describe an alloy as a mixture of a metal with another element, e.g. brass; stainless steel
- identify representations of metals and alloys from diagrams of structures.