Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

A collection of rockets at the National Space Centre in Leicester, England, are displayed in a rocket tower made of a copolymer of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene. Martin Bond/Science Photo Library/Photo Researchers, Inc. 

The study of atomic structure in Chapter 6 provided an interesting detour into modern physics, and there s no doubt that the paradoxes of quantum mechanics are intellectually intriguing. But quite apart from pure scientific curiosity, the concepts we developed for atomic structure offer important insights into some of the most fundamental questions in chemistry. How and why do atoms combine to form molecules What do those molecules actually look like, and which factors determine their shapes In our technological society, the answers to these seemingly abstract questions can have tremendous practical and economic importance. Knowing how to control or selectively exploit the formation of chemical bonds has played a crucial role in the development of many new materials and devices. 

Many elements of the periodic table could provide examples of chemical bonding behavior, but here we will highlight the chemistry of 

2 The Ionic Bond Formation of Cations Formation of Anions 

3 The Covalent Bond Chemical Bonds and Ener Chemical Bonds and Reactions Chemical Bonds and the 

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Linus Pauling United States chemical bonding and molecular structure of proteins... 

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