Bonding Problem Set 2015
Please complete on separate piece of paper. If typed, molecules should be formatted in a way that matches hand
drawn diagrams. See the calendar for your class’s due date.
1. How does the octet rule explain the different types of bonding (ionic, covalent, metallic)?
Ionic: metals lose electrons to achieve noble gas configuration; nonmetals gain electrons
Metallic: the nucleus and core electrons are bathed in a sea of free floating valence electrons
Covalent: nonmetals share pairs of electrons to achieve a noble gas configuration.
2. Explain why the bond length of diatomic nitrogen is different than the bond length of diatomic fluorine.
Nitrogen has a triple bond, which holds the nuclei more tightly that fluorine, which has a single bond.
3. Draw the Lewis structures for the following ionic compounds.
a. sodium oxide
b. barium fluoride
c. strontium phosphide
4. Label the following bonds as either ionic, non-polar covalent, or polar covalent. Draw the dipoles where
necessary (polar covalent only).
Example:
a. H – I
b. Se – S
c. P – H
H–F
this diagram shows that the
d. Na – F
bond is polar covalent and that fluorine has a stronger
e. Cl – Cl
pull on the electrons than hydrogen.
5. Draw the Lewis structures for the following covalent compounds or polyatomic ions.
a. chlorite ion
b. silicon tetrahydride
c. phosphorus trichloride
d. sulfur hexafluoride
e. boron trihydride
6. a. Sulfur dioxide contains coordinate covalent bonds. Use electrons in a diagram to exemplify this
property and explain what it means.
The “red electrons” are initially from sulfur. Sulfur
donates both electrons for its bond with the oxygen drawn
on the lower left..
A coordinate covalent bond is a type of covalent bond in
which both the shared electrons are contributed by one of
the two atoms.
b. Explain why the bonds in sulfur dioxide are each stronger than single bonds, but not quite as strong
as double bonds.
Sulfur dioxide has two resonance structures. The pi electron
cloud is delocalized between the two oxygen atoms. The
bonds are equally strong and have the same bond length.
7. Draw the resonance structures for the following compounds.
a. nitrate ion
b. carbonate ion
8. For each of the following molecules or ions:
i. draw the Lewis structure with the correct geometry
ii. list the molecular geometry and bond angle
iii. list the molecular polarity
iv. list the hybridization
v. list the number of sigma and pi bonds in the molecule
vi. identify any molecule or ion with coordinate covalent bonds
tetrahedral, 109.5°, sp3, polar, 4σ, coordinate
pyramidal, 107°, (<109.5°), sp3, polar, 3σ
linear, 180°, 1σ, 2π
trigonal bipyramidal; sp3d, 120° & 90°, nonpolar, 5σ
bent, 104° (<109.5°), , 2σ, polar, sp3
trigonal planar, 120°, polar, sp2, 3σ, 1π
linear, coordinate, polar, 1σ, 2π, 180°