UNIT OVERVIEW

Chemical bonding explains why substances behave the way they do. Why does salt dissolve in water but metals do not? Why is diamond so hard while pencil graphite is soft? The answer is chemical bonding — the forces that hold atoms together.

In this unit, you will learn about three main types of chemical bonds. You already know that atoms have electrons in energy levels. Now you will see how these electrons create bonds that form everything around us.

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Explain why atoms form chemical bonds
• Describe covalent bonding and draw Lewis dot structures for molecules
• Explain ionic bonding and how ionic compounds form
• Describe metallic bonding using the electron sea model
• Tell the difference between atoms, molecules, and ions
• Compare properties of covalent, ionic, and metallic substances
• Predict bonding type from a substance's properties

Where you see chemical bonding in real life:

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