Ionic Bonding Research Paper

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Atoms are one of the most basic units of matter. They are made of positively charged protons, neutrally charged neutrons, and negatively charged electrons. The nucleus is made up of the protons and neutrons, while the electrons orbit the nucleus. The number of protons determines what element the atom is. Atoms work to achieve an outer shell of eight electrons. To do this, an atom may give away, take, or share electrons. This leads to different kinds of bonding, where two or more atoms become linked together and form either molecules or molecular compounds.
A molecule is composed of only one element while a molecular compound contains multiple elements. These bonds can happen in a variety of ways, including hydrogen bonding, covalent bonding, and ionic bonding. Hydrogen bonding is the weakest bond, and it happens when hydrogen atoms already in a molecule interfere with the electrons of other atoms in other molecules. This normally happens between water molecules. Covalent bonds happen when atoms share one or more pairs of electrons to fill their outer shells. The more pairs of electrons that are shared, the stronger the bond is between the atoms. Ionic bonding happens when two oppositely charged become attracted to each other. One atom gives away an electron to have 8 outer electrons; this atom becomes …show more content…

It describes how well an atom can attract electrons from another atom while bonding. In a covalent bond, the shared electrons will stay closer to the more electronegative of the atoms involved. The result is polarization, when a molecule has a positive and negative end. This is the main cause of hydrogen bonds between water molecules. Water is a notable example of a covalent bond while sodium chloride, or table salt, is a notable example of an ionic bond. These bonds form many of the substances we see around us. These bonds and compounds are even happening inside the human

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