Covalent bonding

From shared electrons to a structure

Follow the same bonding idea through the different ways covalent structures are represented.

1. 1Atoms share electronsWhen atoms share a pair of electrons, that shared pair forms a strong covalent bond between the atoms.
2. 2Dot and cross shows the pairA dot-and-cross diagram uses dots and crosses to distinguish electrons and shows shared pairs between bonded atoms.+
3. 3A line can replace a bondWhen the bonding is represented more simply, one line between atoms stands for one single covalent bond.
4. 4The structure can growCovalently bonded substances may be small molecules, very large molecules such as polymers, or giant covalent structures.+
5. 5The diagram becomes informationOnce the atoms and bonds are shown, count each type of atom to deduce the molecular formula of the molecule.

Tap any cell to reveal it. Tap a column header to read one property down every item.

Representing polymers

Follow the move from one covalent bond to a repeating unit.

1. 1Show the bonded atomsLines can represent the single covalent bonds between atoms in a polymer repeating unit.
2. 2Mark one repeating unitA displayed polymer formula focuses on the part of the very large molecule that repeats.
3. 3Attach the nThe repeating-unit formula uses n to show that the unit occurs a large number of times.

Covalent bonding language

Say the idea before revealing each card.