Chemical bonding 

refers to the formation of bonds by the

forces that hold atoms together to make molecules or
compounds.

Chemical bonds include ionic (complete transfer to valence

electrons between atoms), covalent(sharing of electrons
between pairs of atoms) and metallic (refers to bonds between
conduction electrons due to electrostatic forces) bonds.

Let’s discuss some questions regarding this topic without

further introductions.

Chemical bonding questions

Question 1:

How many electrons are being shared between the two carbon
atoms in Ethyne? The compound Ethyne has the lewis
structure H−C≡C−H.

1. 2
2. 3
3. 4
4. 6

Answer 1:

6 electrons are being shared between the two carbon atoms in

Ethyne. This is because three lines in the carbon atoms (in the
Lewis structure) show three covalent bonds.

Since each covalent bond is a shared pair of the atom, there are

six electrons being shared.

Question 2:
Ethane (C2H6) and ammonia (NH3) are covalent compounds
and their dot and cross structure is shown below.

Which of the below-mentioned statements are correct?

1. Unreacted nitrogen has four outer electrons

2. A molecule of ethane contains twice as many
hydrogen atoms as a molecule of ammonia
3. In ethane, the covalent bond between the carbon
atoms is formed by sharing two electrons, one from
each carbon atom

Answer 2:

All of the three statements are correct because unreacted

nitrogen has four outer (valence) electrons.

Moreover, there are six hydrogen atoms in a molecule of

ethane while there are only threehydrogen atoms in the
molecule of ammonia. Therefore, ammonia has half the
number of hydrogen atoms as compared to ethane.

From the diagram, it is clearly visible that carbon atoms and

hydrogen atoms share two electrons (one from Carbon and the
other from Hydrogen).

All of the three statements are correct because unreacted

nitrogen has four outer (valence) electrons.
Moreover, there are six hydrogen atoms in a molecule of
ethane while there are only threehydrogen atoms in the
molecule of ammonia. Therefore, ammonia has half the
number of hydrogen atoms as compared to ethane.

From the diagram, it is clearly visible that carbon atoms and

hydrogen atoms share two electrons (one from Carbon and the
other from Hydrogen).

Question 3:

The melting point of magnesium chloride is greater than that

of sodium chloride. Explain, in terms of bonding, why is that
so?

Answer 3:

Magnesium chloride contains Mg2+ and O2- ions while sodium

chloride contains Na+ and Cl–ions.

The electrostatic forces of attraction between the ions in

magnesium chloride are greater than the ions in sodium
chloride due to larger positive and negative charge ions.

Therefore, greater energy is required to overcome the strong

electrostatic forces of attraction between the ions in
magnesium chloride while lesser energy is required for sodium
chloride as compared to magnesium chloride.

Therefore, the melting point of magnesium chloride is greater.

Question 4:
Which of the following electron arrangement is that of a
metallic element?

 2, 1 (A)
 2, 4 (B)
 2, 5 (C)
 2, 7 (D)
 Answer 4:
 A is the correct answer that says (2,1) is the electron
arrangement of a metallic element.


 How is this the correct answer? Let me explain.

 Metals have a greater tendency to lose electrons while
non-metals have a greater tendency to gain electrons. The
configuration (2, 1) means that the element will lose one
electron to become stable.
 The arrangement (2, 4) means that the element will gain
four electrons to become stable while the arrangement (2,
5) says that the element will gain three electrons to
become stable.
 The arrangement (2, 7) means that the element will gain
one electron to become stable. As a result, A is the correct
 answer because it is the only case in which an electron is
lost.

Question 5:

Element X has the electronic structure of 2, 8, 8, 1 while

element Y has the electronic structure of 2, 8, 6. What type of
bond is made when X and Y react and what is the formula of
the compound?

Type of compound Formula

A. Covalent bond X2Y

B. Covalent bond XY2

C. Ionic bond X2Y

D. Ionic bond XY2

Answer 5:

C is the correct answer and let me help you get to the answer.

The electron arrangement 2, 8, 8, 1 means that the element will

lose one electron to become stable (note that metals lose
electrons to become ions)

However, electronic configuration 2, 8, 6 means that the

element will gain two electrons to become stable (note that
non-metals gain electrons to become negative ions).

An ionic compound is a compound that is formed between a

metal and a non-metal while a covalent compound is formed
between non-metals.
So from the above information, we can conclude that the bond
formed is ionic because metal and non-metal react. How do we
find out the formula of an ionic compound?

One method is to write down the ions of the compound first (in
this case, X would have a +1charge and Y would have a -
2 charge).

Then, you cross multiply the charges to find out the formula of
an ionic compound.

In simple words, first, you write the symbol and charge of

a cation and then you write the symbol and charge of the anion.
Finally, you combine the two ions into an
electrically neutralcompound.

Question 6:

What is the number of shared pairs of electrons in a molecule

of ammonia?

A. 3
B. 4

C. 5

D. 6

Answer 6:

There are three pairs of shared electrons in a molecule of

ammonia (NH3) and therefore, A is the answer.

Look, nitrogen has five electrons in its valence shell and it requires

three electrons to become stable. Where will it get those three
electrons from?

As visible in the formula, there are three hydrogen atoms (NH3) and
each hydrogen atom will give one electron to nitrogen. As a result, six
electrons will be shared.

But, the question asks the number of pairs. Since six electrons are

shared, there are three pairs. So, this information tells us that A is the
correct answer.

Question 7:

Identify, which of the two statements given below is correct?

1. In a “sea of electrons”, metals contain a lattice of negative

ions
2. The mobility of the electrons in the metals is the reason for
their electrical conductivity

A. Statement one is correct but statement two is incorrect.

B. Both statements are correct and the second statement explains the
first statement.
C. Both statements are correct but neither statement explains the other
statement.

D. Statement one is incorrect while statement two is correct.

Answer 7:

D is the correct answer for this question.

Why is the first statement incorrect? The statement says that metals
possess a lattice of negative ions which is incorrect because they
contain a lattice of positive ions in the “sea of electrons”.

This is because metals lose electrons to become positively charged

ions.

Moreover, the second statement is correct because the moving

electrons help metals to conduct electricity.

In metal bonds, the electrons travel freely around the electron sea and

since they are free to move towards any attraction, they help metals
to conduct electricity.
Question 8:

Which one of the groups below only contains ionic compounds?

A. Copper (||) sulfate, methane, sodium chloride

B. Calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, sodium chloride

C. Calcium oxide, , magnesium oxide, hydrogen chloride

D. Carbon dioxide, hydrogen chloride, copper (||) sulfate

Answer 8:

The correct answer is B because it is the only group that contains all
ionic compounds.

Recall that ionic compounds are formed between metals and non-

metals (electrons are transferred) and only B is the group that fulfils
this criterion. However, A contains methane (CH4) that has covalent
bonds.

Similarly, there is covalent bonding in hydrogen chloride because

electrons are shared while in ionic bonding, electrons are not shared
but are transferred.

These are some chemical bonding questions. However, there are some
important concepts in this topic which you should know as well. So,
let’s discuss them.

Chemical bonding notes:

 Metals lose electrons to form positive ions (cations).

This is because when metals lose electrons, they attain the electronic
configuration of a noble gas because noble gases are stable (they have
complete valence electrons).
  Non-metals gain electrons to form negative ions (anions).

When non-metals gain electrons, they also attain the electronic

configuration of noble gas and have a fully stable outer shell.

They have more valence electrons so they end up gaining electrons

because it is easier for them to gain electrons than to lose electrons.

Ionic compounds conduct electricity in the molten or aqueous

state. (In the molten or aqueous state, ionic compounds
have free moving ions to conduct electricity).

Furthermore, ionic compounds have a very high melting and

boiling point. They are soluble in water and insoluble in organic
compounds.

 Covalent molecules can exist as simple molecular

structure and giant molecular structure.

The simple molecular structure has weak intermolecular forces

between the molecules. They have low melting and boiling
point and they are not soluble in water.

The giant molecular structure has strong covalent bonds and

they have a very high melting and boiling point and except for
graphite, they do not conduct electricity.
Note: Graphite conducts electricity because not all electrons
are involved in bonding. The free-moving electrons allow it to
conduct electricity.

 In metallic bonds, there are positive ions around the

“sea of electrons”.

Apart, metals are good conductors of heat and electricity. They

have high density, melting point and boiling point.

Finally, they are malleable (pressed into different shapes

without breaking or cracking) and ductile (can be drawn into a
thin wire).

These are some of the important concepts about the topic

which you should know to solve the questions related to this
topic.

 Ionic compounds have ionic bonds and they

have a giant lattice structure.
