MediumChemistryHigh School (11–12)Chemical Bonding › Shapes of Molecules and HybridisationConceptual
Hydrogen chloride, chlorine and nitrogen are all covalent.
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Hydrogen chloride, chlorine and nitrogen are all covalent. Hydrogen has one electron in . Chlorine has one unpaired electron in a orbital. Nitrogen has one unpaired electron in each of its three orbitals. Say which orbitals overlap in , and , and what bonds they make.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
A covalent bond forms when two half-filled orbitals overlap. Head-on overlap along the line of the nuclei gives a sigma bond. Sideways overlap of parallel p orbitals gives a pi bond, which is weaker. A single bond is one sigma bond, a double bond one sigma and one pi, and a triple bond one sigma and two pi. The bond enthalpy is the energy needed to break one mole of bonds into atoms.
The worked solution
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Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. . The of hydrogen meets a of chlorine head on: s with p, one sigma bond.
Step 2. . A of each chlorine meets end to end: p with p, one sigma bond.
Step 3. . The orbitals along the axis meet head on and form one sigma bond. The other two pairs of orbitals are parallel and overlap sideways, giving two pi bonds.
Answer: and each have one sigma bond; has one sigma and two pi bonds.
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