On the Nature of the Chemical Bond

Chemistry
[caption id="attachment_3393" align="alignright" width="440"] Proline - Ball and Stick Model CCA 2.5 by Peter Murray-Rust.[/caption] Atoms combine to form molecules. Atom A approaches atom B and cohesively attaches to it. Molecule AB is held together by a chemical bond.¹ That bond is written A–B,  or in the case of multiple bonds, A=B, A≡B, etc. Factors in Bond Formation The primary bonding agency is electrostatic force. This is the force between electrical charges. A positive charge is due to a lack of one or more electrons, producing cations. A negative charge is due to an excess of electrons, producing anions. One of the simplest examples is the formation from sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) of ordinary table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl).² We write, Na – e⁻ → Na⁺ Cl + e⁻…
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