Chapter 2 Review Questions
1. Xenon forms a number of covalently bonded compounds with fluorine and oxygen.
a. i. Define the term covalent bond.
ii. Draw a dot-and-cross diagram for xenon tetrafluoride, XeF4.
iii. Suggest a shape for XeF4. Explain your answer.
b. The structure of xenon trioxide is shown below.
i. By referring to electron pairs, explain why xenon trioxide has this shape.
ii. Draw the structure of xenon trioxide to show the partial charges on the atoms and the direction of the
dipole in the molecule.
2. Aluminium chloride, AlCl3, and ammonia, NH3, are both covalent molecules.
a, i. Draw a diagram of an ammonia molecule, showing its shape. Show any lone pairs of electrons.
ii. State the bond angle in the ammonia molecule?
b. Explain why ammonia is a polar molecule.
c. An ammonia molecule and an aluminium chloride molecule can join together by forming a co
ordinate bond.
i. How is a co-ordinate bond formed?
ii. Draw a dot-and-cross diagram to show the bonding in the compound formed between ammonia and
aluminium chloride, H3NAlCl3. (Use • for a nitrogen electron, o for an aluminium electron and × for
the hydrogen and chlorine electrons.)
d. Aluminium chloride molecules join together to form a compound with the formula Al2Cl6. Draw a
displayed formula (showing all atoms and bonds) to show the bonding in one Al 2Cl6 molecule. Show
the dative covalent bonds by arrows.
3. Electronegativity values can be used to predict the polarity of bonds.
a. Define the term electronegativity.
[Link] electronegativity values for some atoms are given below:
H = 2.1, C = 2.5, F = 4.0, Cl = 3.0, I = 2.5
Use these values to predict the polarity of each of the following bonds by copying the bonded atoms
shown below and adding δ+ or δ− above each atom.
i. H─I
ii. F─I
iii. C─Cl
c. The shape of iodine trichloride, ICl3, is shown below
Use the electronegativity values above to explain how you know that iodine trichloride is a covalent
compound.
i. Describe the shape of this molecule.
ii. Why has the ICl3 molecule this shape?
iii. Suggest a value for the Cl─I─Cl bond angle.
d. Tetrachloromethane, CCl4, is a non-polar molecule.
i. Draw a diagram to show the shape of this molecule.
ii. Why is this molecule non-polar?
4. The diagram below shows part of a giant metallic structure.
a. Use this diagram to explain the main features of metallic bonding.
b. Why are metals good conductors of electricity?
5. Methane, CH4, is a gas at room temperature.
a. Why is methane a gas at room temperature?
b. Draw a diagram to show the shape of a molecule of methane. On your diagram, show a value for the
HCH bond angle.
c. why are molecules in perfumes usually small and have simple structures?
d. When a negatively charged rod is held next to a stream of propanone, CH 3COCH3, the stream of
propanone is attracted to the rod. Draw the full structure of a molecule of propanone and use your
diagram to explain why the stream of propanone is attracted to the rod?
6. Sodium iodide and magnesium oxide are ionic compounds. Iodine and oxygen are covalent
molecules.
a. Draw dot-and-cross diagrams for:
i. magnesium oxide
ii. oxygen
b. Describe how sodium iodide and iodine differ in their solubility in water.
c. Why does molten sodium iodide conduct electricity but molten iodine does not?
d. The boiling point of sodium iodide is 1304 °C. The boiling point of iodine is 184 °C. Explain this
difference.
e. The Pauling electronegativities of Na and iodine are shown. sodium = 0.9, iodine = 2.5. Use these
electronegativity values to explain why sodium iodide is an ionic compound and not a covalent
compound.
7. Hydrogen sulfide, H2S, is a covalent compound.
a. Draw a dot-and-cross diagram for hydrogen sulfide.
b. Draw a diagram of a hydrogen sulfide molecule to show its shape. Show on your diagram:
i. the value of the HSH bond angle
ii. the partial charges on each atom as δ+ or δ–
iii. an arrow showing the exact direction of the dipole in the molecule as a whole.
c. Oxygen, O, sulfur, S, and selenium, Se, are in the same group in the Periodic Table.
i. Why does hydrogen selenide, H2Se, have a higher boiling point than hydrogen sulfide, H2S?
ii. Why is the boiling point of water so much higher than the boiling point of hydrogen sulfide?
8. The table shows the type of bonding in a number of elements and compounds.
a. Draw a labelled diagram to show metallic bonding.
b. Why does magnesium chloride have a high melting point but bromine have a low melting point?
c. Why does solid sodium conduct electricity but solid sodium chloride does not?
d. i. Draw a dot-and-cross diagram for carbon dioxide.
ii. Describe the shape of the carbon dioxide molecule.
iii. Why does a carbon dioxide molecule have this shape?
e. Bromine is a liquid at room temperature. Weak instantaneous dipole–induced dipole forces hold the
bromine molecules together. How do these forces arise?
i. Why is ice less dense than liquid water?
ii. State two other anomalous properties of water.
b. Propanone has the structure shown below.
When propanone dissolves in water, it forms a hydrogen bond with water. Describe the features water
and propanone molecules have in order to form a hydrogen bond.
c. Draw a diagram to show a propanone molecule and a water molecule forming a hydrogen bond.
d. Propanone has a double bond. One of the bonds is a σ bond (sigma bond). The other is a π bond (pi
bond). Explain the difference between a σ bond and a π bond in terms of how they are formed?
e. Copy the diagram, then complete it to show the shapes of the electron clouds in the σ bond and the π
bond between the carbon atoms in ethene. Label your diagram.