In summary, chemical formulas yield the following information: 1. Which elements are present 2.

The ratio of the number of atoms of each element to the number of atoms of each other element 3. The number of atoms of each element per formula unit of compound 4. The fact that all the atoms represented are bonded together in some way

The charge on the nucleus and the number of electrons in the valence shell determine the chemical properties of the atom. The electronic configurations of the noble gases (except for that of helium) correspond to a valence shell containing eight electronsa very stable configuration called an octet.

Atoms of other main group elements tend to react with other atoms in various ways to achieve the octet, as discussed in the next sections. The tendency to achieve an octet of electrons in the outermost shell is called the octet rule.

IONS
The electronic configuration of a potassium atom is

It is readily seen that if a potassium atom were to lose one electron, the resulting species would have the configuration

or more simply

The electronic configuration of a chlorine atom is

Upon gaining an electron, the chlorine atom achieves the electronic configuration of argon:

ELECTRON DOT NOTATION

To represent the formation of bonds between atoms, it is convenient to use a system known as electron dot notation.

COVALENT BONDING
The bond formed from the sharing of a pair of electrons (or more than one pair) between two atoms is called a covalent bond.

The formation of some covalent bonds is shown in this manner below:

Scope of the Octet Rule

It must be emphasized that the octet rule does not describe the electronic configuration of all compounds. The very existence of any compounds of the noble gases is evidence that the octet rule does not apply in all cases. Other examples of compounds that do not obey the octet rule are BF3, PF5, and SF6.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN IONIC AND COVALENT BONDING The word bonding applies to any situation in which two or more atoms are held together in such close proximity that they form a characteristic species which has distinct properties and which can be represented by a chemical formula.

PREDICTING THE NATURE OF BONDING IN COMPOUNDS

Electronegativity

Electronegativity is a semiquantitative measure of the ability of an atom to attract electrons involved in covalent bonds. Atoms with higher electronegativities have greater electronattracting ability

The greater the electronegativity difference between a pair of elements, the more likely they are to form an ionic compound; the lower the difference in electronegativity, the more likely that if they form a compound, the compound will be covalent.

Latihan
1. Arrange the electrons in each of the following atoms in shells: (a) F, (b) Cl, (c) Br, and (d) I. 2. What is the difference between ClO2 and ClO2? 3. When an aluminum atom loses three electrons to form Al3+, how many electrons are there in what is now the outermost shell? in the valence shell?

4. What ions are present in each of the following compounds: (a) MnCl2, (b) Cu2S, (c) CuO, (d) Ba(ClO4)2,(e) (NH4)2SO4, and ( f ) MgCO3? 5. Write formulas for the compounds formed by the following pairs of ions: (a) Li+ and Cl, (b) Pb4+ and O2, (c) K+ and S2, (d) Al3+ and S2, (e) Mg2+ and N3, and ( f) Co2+ and ClO