Chemical Bonding - Futher Study

Chemical bonding is classified into 2 types of bonding, covalent bonding and ionic bonding. Ionic bonding is the process where electrons are completely transferred from one atom to another. In the process of either losing or gaining negatively charged electrons, the reacting atoms form ions. The oppositely charged ions are attracted to each other by electrostatic forces, which are the basis of the ionic bond. Ionic bonds have various similarities:

•Ionic bonds form between metals and non-metals
•In naming ionic compounds, the metal always comes first, like Sodium Chloride
•Ionic compounds dissolve easily in water
•In solution, ionic compounds conduct electricity easily
•Ionic compounds tend to form crystalline solids with high melting temperature

However, in covalent bonding, as opposed to ionic bonding in which a complete transfer of electrons occurs, covalent bonding occurs when two (or more) elements share electrons. Covalent bonding occurs because the atoms in the compound have a similar tendency for electrons (generally to gain electrons). This most commonly occurs when two nonmetals bond together. Because both of the nonmetals will want to gain electrons, the elements involved will share electrons in an effort to fill their valence shells.