Bonding Basics
How do atoms join up? Meet the three chemical bonds: ionic, covalent and metallic. Learn which elements form each, whether electrons are transferred or shared, and the structures they build.
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What holds atoms together?
Almost nothing exists as lone atoms. Atoms join using **chemical bonds**, and there are three kinds. Which bond forms depends on which elements meet: **ionic** (a metal with a non-metal), **covalent** (non-metals together) and **metallic** (metals together). This module shows how each one works.
Four words to know
These words describe what the electrons do in each type of bond.
Match the term
- Ionic bond
- Covalent bond
- Metallic bond
- Ion
- Electrons transferred from a metal to a non-metal
- Electrons shared between non-metal atoms
- Positive ions in a sea of delocalised electrons
- A charged atom
Which bond?
Which type of bond forms between a metal and a non-metal?
- Ionic
- Covalent
- Metallic
- No bond forms
Transfer or share?
The big difference between the first two bonds is what happens to the electrons.
Match the particle idea
- Positive ion
- Negative ion
- Delocalised electrons
- Giant ionic lattice
- An atom that has lost electrons
- An atom that has gained electrons
- Free-moving electrons in a metal
- A regular repeating arrangement of many ions
The grade 9 rule: name the delocalised electrons
Describe metallic bonding as positive ions held in a sea of delocalised electrons. Naming the delocalised electrons explicitly is what earns the marks, and it explains later why metals conduct electricity and can be bent into shape.
Complete the summary
In _____ bonding a metal gives electrons to a non-metal, forming charged _____. In _____ bonding, non-metal atoms _____ pairs of electrons. In metallic bonding, positive ions sit in a sea of _____ electrons.
Spot the covalent substances
Which of these substances are held together by covalent bonds? Choose all that apply.
- Water
- Chlorine gas
- Carbon dioxide
- Sodium chloride
- Copper metal
Find the ionic bonding
An interactive activity.
How an ionic bond forms
An interactive activity.
Why metals conduct
Why can a metal conduct electricity?
- It has delocalised electrons that are free to move
- Its ions are negatively charged
- It shares pairs of electrons
- It has no bonds between its atoms
Which bond forms?
An interactive activity.
Your turn
An interactive activity.