Fundamentals of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry6th Edition – McMurry
CHAPTER 5 VOCABULARY: Molecular Compounds
List created by: Jessica L. Mitton - Spring 2010
Binary compound- a compound formed by combination of two different elements.
Bond angle- the angle formed by three adjacent atoms in a molecule.
Bond length- the optimum distance between nuclei in a covalent bond.
Condensed structure- a shorthand way of drawing structures in which C—C and C—H
bonds are understood rather than shown.
Coordinate covalent bond- the covalent bond that forms when both electrons are
donated by the same atom.
Covalent bond- a bond formed by sharing electrons between atoms.
Double bond- a covalent bond formed by sharing two electron pairs.
Electronegativity- the ability of an atom to attract electrons in a covalent bond.
Lewis structure- a molecular representation that shows both the connections among
atoms and the locations of lone-pair valence electrons.
Lone pair- a pair of electrons that is not used for bonding.
Molecular compound- a compound that consists of molecules rather than ions.
Molecular formula- a formula that shows the numbers and kinds of atoms in one
molecule of a compound.
Molecule- a group of atoms held together by covalent bonds.
Polar covalent bond- a bond in which the electrons are attracted more strongly by one
atom than by the other.
Regular tetrahedron- a geometric figure with four identical triangular faces.
Single bond- a covalent bond formed by sharing one electron pair.
Structural formula- a molecular representation that shows the connections among atoms
by using lines to represent covalent bonds.
Triple bond- A covalent bond formed by sharing three electron pairs.
Valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) model- a method for predicting
molecular shape by noting how many electron charge clouds surround atoms and
assuming that the clouds orient as far away from one another as possible.