Our journey across the periodic table has (hopefully!) revealed some of the comp

Question

Our journey across the periodic table has (hopefully!) revealed some of the complexities of structure and bonding that chemists encounter on a regular basis. "Pure" ionic and covalent bonding are two extreme cases for describing interatomic interactions, and many compounds use bonding schemes that fall in-between these two extremes. Likewise, fundamental structural parameters, like bond lengths and bond angles, can be predicted by simple theories, but these predictions are not universally obeyed.

Below are some unusual types of bonding, or unexpected types of structures, that we have encountered in this module. Provide one or two examples of compounds that exhibit each of the following unusual or unexpeced behaviors; be sure to provide examples for each of the possibilities:

A. Partial multiple bonding

B. Unexpected strength in a single bond

C. Electron-deficient bonding (or, 3-centered-2-electron bonding)

D. A main group (s or p-block) metal that forms more than one stable oxidation state.

E. A main group (s or p-block) element that can readily exist in both positive and negative oxidation states.

F. A metal ion that can interact with anions with a significant degree of covalency (electron sharing) rather than simply thorugh ionic (electrostatic) interactions.

Explanation / Answer

(A) BF3 (Bron tri halides)

(B) Boron nitride, Diamond, Graphite

(C) B2H6 (Diborane)

(D) Ga (Galium)

(E) Carbon

(F) Li+ (Lithium ion), Be2+ (beryllium ion)

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