We complete our basic introduction to the structure of matter in this chapter. We look at what holds atoms together in compounds and what determines the ratios in which atoms of different elements are able to join together. The length of the list of important topics should tell you that the mastery of this chapter is crucial for your success in this course. Chemical bonds and the octet rule.
All chemical reactions involve making, breaking, and relocating bonds.
Nature's rules governing what systems can form bonds and how many bonds can form determine chemical formulas and molecular structure. How to use the periodic table and the octet rule to predict an element's ionic charge or its covalence number. The periodic table stores information about the elements, so we let it reduce what we have to memorize. The vocabulary of redox reactions. Because redox reactions make up one of the few kinds of reactions that we study, including most reactions of metabolism.