But isn't Hydrogen atom electrically neutral? One +p and -e, what is then the attraction between one over the other? Is it not gravity or something?jfizzix said:Well, to take the simplest example of the bond in a hydrogen molecule, you have two positively charged nuclei, and two electrons. Each electron is attracted to both nuclei, but repelled by the other electron. Chemical bonds are then a sort of compromise; it's a local equilibrium where it would take more energy to smoosh them closer closer together or pull them further apart.
That two electrons can be in the vicinity of positively charged nuclei is not without precedent.
After all, Helium atoms have two electrons orbiting each of them and are stable, even though the electrons repel each other.
Forget about gravity. What you have, at long range, is the interaction of the instantaneous dipole. As the two atoms get closer, you will have the electron of one atom having a non-negligible overlap with the nucleus of the other atom.bronx said:But isn't Hydrogen atom electrically neutral? One +p and -e, what is then the attraction between one over the other? Is it not gravity or something?
That's is more real I agree. thanks.DrClaude said:Forget about gravity. What you have, at long range, is the interaction of the instantaneous dipole. As the two atoms get closer, you will have the electron of one atom having a non-negligible overlap with the nucleus of the other atom.
There is no attraction between the electrons and mutual repulsion of the electrons is rather an obstacle to bond formation. As others pointed out already, this repulsion is partially made off by the attraction of the nuclei, but this wouldn't explain bonding.bronx said:How is it that in chemical bonding like in covalent bonding electrons form a bond or there is attraction from one unto the other. Isn't that ironic?
Electron sharing and bonding is a process in which two or more atoms share electrons in order to achieve a more stable outer electron shell. This results in the formation of chemical bonds between the atoms.
Ionic bonding involves the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, resulting in the formation of ions with opposite charges that are attracted to each other. Covalent bonding, on the other hand, involves the sharing of electrons between atoms, resulting in the formation of molecules.
The number of valence electrons an atom has determines its reactivity and ability to form bonds. Atoms with a full outer shell of electrons are stable and do not readily bond with other atoms, while atoms with incomplete outer shells will bond with other atoms in order to achieve a full outer shell.
A Lewis dot structure is a visual representation of the valence electrons in an atom or molecule. Each dot represents a valence electron, and the structure is used to show the sharing or transfer of electrons between atoms in a bond.
Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons towards itself in a chemical bond. When two atoms with different electronegativities bond, the more electronegative atom will attract the shared electrons more strongly, resulting in a polar covalent bond.