Question

chemical bonding 101
in the reading below, use a highlighter to highlight words you dont know and define them on the next page in your notebook. then answer the 4 comprehension questions.
why do atoms interact? atoms interact with each other to become stable, then neutral. except for the noble gases, all other atoms can interact and bond with each other.
atoms want to be stable first! a stable atom has electrons filling the atoms outer energy level called the valence shell. if the valence shell is not full, the atom is not stable. to achieve stability, atoms can share, gain, or lose electrons with other atoms to produce a full valence shell. 2 electrons are needed to fill the first energy level, 8 electrons are needed to fill the second energy level, and eight are needed to fill the third (the octet rule).
if atoms end up sharing electrons to become stable, they produce a covalent bond. a single covalent bond results when two atoms share a pair of electrons. both atoms are made stable at the same time by this sharing. each atom shares one of its own electrons with the other atom it partners with. these covalent compounds are often referred to as molecules. h₂o, or water, is an example of a covalent compound, but we often hear it referred to as a water molecule.
if atoms have lost or gained electrons to become stable, they will no longer be neutral. instead, they will either have a positive or negative charge because the number of positive charges (protons) no longer equals the number of negative charges (electrons). an atom can become positively charged by losing an electron or the atom can become negatively charged by gaining an electron.
these stable, charged atoms will interact with other charged atoms to become neutral and form an ionic bond. the charged atoms come close enough together so that there will be an overall neutral charge by cancelling out each other. remember that opposite charges attract one other, positive attracts negative. they cancel each other out by having an equal amount of positive and negative charges.
questions:

1. what makes an atom stable?
2. what is a covalent bond?
3. what happens when an atoms gains or loses electrons to become stable?
4. how is an ionic bond formed?

Explanation:

1. The text states that a stable atom has electrons filling its valence shell.
2. It defines a covalent bond as when atoms share electrons to become stable, like in \(H_2O\).
3. When atoms gain or lose electrons to be stable, they become charged (positive or negative).
4. Ionic bonds form when charged atoms (with opposite charges) interact to cancel out charges and become neutral.

Answer:

1. A stable atom has electrons filling its valence shell.
2. A covalent bond is formed when atoms share electrons to become stable.
3. The atom becomes charged (either positive or negative).
4. Charged atoms (with opposite charges) interact to cancel out charges and form an ionic bond.