Which of the following occurs when a covalent bond forms? a....

Which of the following occurs when a covalent bond forms?
a. The potential energy of electrons drops.
b. Electrons in valence shells are shared between nuclei
c. Ions of opposite charge interact.
d. Polar molecules interact.

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Key Concepts

Energy Reduction in Bond Formation

The formation of covalent bonds typically results in a decrease in the potential energy of the electrons involved. This energy drop means that the atoms are in a more stable, lower-energy state after bonding, which is a hallmark of exothermic processes in chemical reactions.

Covalent Bond Formation

Covalent bonds are a type of chemical bond where atoms share electrons, usually those in their valence shells, to achieve a stable electronic configuration similar to that of noble gases. This sharing is the fundamental mechanism by which many compounds are formed and is key to the structure and properties of molecules.

Transcript

00:01 This question asks about which statement is true regarding a covalent bond forming.

00:06 So let's go over the concept of a covalent bond.

00:09 Covalent bond is defined as the shared electrons on the valent shell between two nuclei.

00:22 So the keywords here are shared electrons on the valent shell.

00:32 Valent shell is also known as the outermost shell.

00:37 So let's take water as an example.

00:41 As we all know that water is h2o, so one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms.

00:47 An oxygen atom has 8 electrons in total, with 2 on the inner shell and 6 on the outermost shell, or the valent shell.

01:03 And h has only 1 electron.

01:07 And there is only one shell.

01:12 So for the oxygen, we have two on the inner shell and six on the outermost shell.

01:19 One, two, three, four, five, six.

01:22 And as you can see that these two electrons are not paired.

01:28 And for hydrogen, we have only one electron and the same here as well.

01:35 So we know that for the first shell, we need to the first shell, two electrons to reach a stable state.

01:41 And for the second shell, we need eight electrons in total to reach a stable state.

01:45 And as you can see, now we have unstable shells on both o and h atoms...

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