2.1.9

Representing Covalent Bonds

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Representing Covalent Bonds

There are many ways of representing covalent bonds in a molecule. 4 ways of representing ammonia are shown below:

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Dot-and-cross with shells

  • Dots represent the outer shell electrons of atoms of 1 element.
  • Crosses represent the outer shell electrons of atoms of the other element.
  • A limitation of this method is that it shows electrons differently for each atom, when they are actually exactly the same.
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Dot-and-cross without shells

  • Dots represent the outer shell electrons of atoms of 1 element.
  • Crosses represent the outer shell electrons of atoms of the other element.
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Ball-and-stick

  • Balls represent atoms.
  • Sticks represent bonds between the atoms.
  • A limitation of this method is that atoms are much closer together than the diagram shows.
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Lines

  • The atomic symbol represents the atom.
  • Lines between the atoms represent a covalent bond.

Jump to other topics

1Atomic Structure

2Chemical Bonding

3Quantitative Chemistry

4Chemical Changes

5Energy Changes

6The Rate & Extent of Chemical Change

7Organic Chemistry

8Chemical Analysis

9Chemistry of the Atmosphere

10Using Resources

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