Chemical Bonding (Ch.3): ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds

Chemical bonding refers to the attractive forces that hold atoms together in a compound. There are three main types of chemical bonds: ionic, covalent, and metallic. Ionic bonding occurs when there is a transfer of electrons between atoms, resulting in the formation of ions that are held together by electrostatic forces. Covalent bonding occurs when atoms share electrons in order to complete their valence shells, resulting in the formation of a molecule. Metallic bonding occurs when there is a sea of delocalized electrons surrounding a lattice of positively charged metal ions, resulting in a highly conductive structure. These types of bonding have different properties and characteristics, and understanding them is fundamental to understanding the behavior of matter.