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Chemical Bonds

Elements

Molecular Weight (grams per mole), Electrons, Chemical Bonds

C - Carbon, (12.01 mw) 6 electrons, 4 bonds, covalent.

Cl-1 - chlorine, (35.45 mw) 17 electrons, 1 bond, ionic-negative.

Cu+2 - copper, (63.55 mw) 29 electrons, 2 or 3 bonds, ionic-positive.

H+1 - hydrogen, (1.01 mw) 1 electron, 1 bond, ionic-positive.

Fe+3 - iron, (55.85 mw) 26 electrons, 2 or 3 bonds, ionic-positive.

K+1 - potassium, (39.10 mw) 19 electrons, 1 bond, ionic-positive.

N+3 - nitrogen, (14.01 mw) 7 electrons, 3 bonds, ionic-positive.

Na+1 - sodium, (22.99 MW) 11 electrons, 1 bonds, ionic-positive.

O-2 - oxygen, (16.00 mw) 8 electrons, 2 bonds, ionic-negative.

P+5 - phosphorus, (30.97 mw) 15 electrons, 5 bonds, ionic-positive.

S-2 - sulfur, (32.07 mw)16 electrons, 2 bonds, ionic-negative.

Carbon: carbon atom

Protein: protein

Covalent Bonds:

As the protein shows, carbon atoms always have 4 bonds, nitrogen 3, oxygen 2 and hydrogen 1.

Carbon atoms need 8 electrons in their outer shell, but they only have 4. So they share 4 with other atoms.

These types of bonds are called covalent. spinningThey are created by electrons spinning around two atoms. Electrons spin in pairs.

Electrons stay in shells around the nucleus of the atom. The first shell needs 2 electrons. The second and third shells need 8 electrons. If an electron is missing, it is borrowed from the bonding atom. A pair of electrons is then shared by both atoms.

Carbon is the basis of biology, because its 4 bonds create structural diversity. For this reason, any molecules with carbon in them are called "organic." Organic chemistry is the study of molecules containing carbon. Such molecules can get very complex.

Minerals:

When molecules do not have carbon bonds, they are called minerals or inorganic molecules. Here are two examples which are common nutrients supplying nitrogen to plants:

Potassium Nitrate: KNO3

Ammonium Chloride: NH4Cl

On the left side of each molecule is a positive charged atom or group called a cation. On the right side, is a negative charged atom or group called an anion. Cations and anions don't form covalent bonds from electrons spinning around both.

Such ionic molecules are called salts. When used as nutrients, the nitrogen gets incorporated into organic molecules and forms covalent bonds with carbon and hydrogen.

The positive charge is caused by there being one or more electrons fewer than the number of protons in the nucleus. The negative charge results from more electrons than protons. Electrons are negatively charged, and protons are positively charged.

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