This theory, which also goes by the name quantum mechanics, retains even less of classical physics than the Bohr model. It is this model that we will emphasize and use to explain chemical periodicity and the periodic table. The concepts and principles encountered in this chapter will serve as a foundation for the study of chemical bonding and molecular structure which follow in Chapters 6 and 7. This chapter presents an in-depth treatment of ionic bonding. Chapter 7 will do the same for covalent bonding.
Atoms interact electronically to produce molecules and compounds.
In an ionic interaction there is a complete transfer of a valence electron from a metallic to a non-metallic element. In covalent bonding it is assumed that valence electrons are shared by two elements. After a study of ionic bonding, we will consider the chemistry of the most important metallic and non-metallic elements. Every effort will be made to interpret this descriptive chemistry in terms of the principles of atomic and molecular structure we have previously studied. The main subject of this chapter is the nature of the covalent chemical bond.