Chemical Bonding (Oxford AQA IGCSE Combined Science Double Award)

Combining Atoms

• A compound is a substance in which atoms of two or more elements are chemically combined 

• When atoms combine, they do so in order to achieve a full outer shell of electrons and become chemically stable  

  • This arrangement of electrons would be the same as that of a noble gas 

Examples of compounds 

• Chemical bonding involves either transferring or sharing electrons

• Ionic bonds:

  • These form between metals and non-metals when electrons are transferred 

  • The atoms involved are oppositely charged particles (known as ions) in which electron transfer occurs

  • The opposite charges attract through electrostatic forces Ionic bonds

• Covalent bonds:

  • These bonds form when non-metal atoms share pairs of electrons between each other