UNIT OVERVIEW

Why does water bend while carbon dioxide stays straight? Why do some substances dissolve easily while others do not mix? The answers lie in how atoms bond together and arrange themselves in three-dimensional space.

In this unit, you will learn to predict and explain the shapes of molecules, understand why bonds form, and discover how these tiny structures determine the properties of matter around you.

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

• Explain chemical bonding as a balance between attractive and repulsive forces
• Draw accurate Lewis diagrams for molecules with single, double, and triple bonds
• Predict molecular shapes using the VSEPR model
• Identify molecular geometries: linear, trigonal planar, tetrahedral, trigonal bipyramidal, and octahedral
• Determine bond polarity using electronegativity values
• Relate bond energy to bond length and molecular stability

---