Questions for Focused Reading

January 12

13.7

1.    Why do bonds form?

2.    What is meant by the term "molecular stability"?

3.    Why do chemists (and other scientists) develop models?  What is the purpose of a model?

4.    On page 598, your text states "we find it convenient to assume that individual bonds occur between pairs of atoms."  In two or three sentences, explain why (or how) this assumption simplifies our ability to understand the behavior of compounds.

5.    You will find it easier to process and work with the models of bonding if you carefully read the summary box on page 600 of your text.

13.1

6.    What is bond length?  What types of forces are balanced when a bond forms?

7.    Why are polar covalent bonds polar?

13.9

8.    What is meant by the phrase "localized electron"?

9.    Distinguish between lone pairs and bonding pairs of electrons.