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Question involving Purely and Polar covalents
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Calypso:
This really isn't a homework question just more of a general..."I need more of an explanation" question hehe. I'm having some difficulty with polar and purely covalents. I can do Lewis Structures perfectly fine but figuring out how to classify them as either purely or polar has me running in circles as of right now. I was wondering if any of you knowledgeable chemistry whizs could give me a hand :P
mike:
What is "purely"? Do you mean the difference between covalent and polar covalent? In general when there is a large difference in electronegativity between two atoms they will form an ionic bond. When the electronegativities are similar they will form a covalent bond. When there is some difference in electronegativity but not a lot then they will form a polar covalent bond. Remember that covalent bonds occur when atoms share electrons fairly equally while ionic bonds are formed between ions that would prefer to retain or donate electrons.
Calypso:
Oh whoops I am sorry, my chemistry book refers to them as purely covalents...o_O. Thank you for the much needed explanation!
arnyk:
A purely or "truly" covalent bond would be when the electronegativity difference is zero. So when would that occur?
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