Linus Pauling won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954 for his work on chemical bonding.

Because the electronegativity values are fairly similar for all nonmetal atoms, they should have low differences in electronegativity values. For example, a carbon-oxygen bond has an electronegativity difference of 1.0. (Want proof? Check the table!) This value is considered rather low.

Electronegativity values

Guess what happens with ionic bonds because they usually occur between a metal and a nonmetal atom? The periodic table shows that metal atoms generally have electronegativity values that range from 0.7 to 1.5. The difference in electronegativity between metal and nonmetal atoms in an ionic bond is therefore relatively high compared to the difference in covalent bonds.

For example, a common ionic solid is table salt (NaCl). The difference in electronegativity values for sodium and chlorine is 2.1. This value for the ionic bond between sodium and chlorine is two times greater than the value of 1.0 for the covalent carbon-oxygen bond.

Try It Out!

Just for Fun!

Bonds Instructions: Click the center square to begin. The first blue tile will light up and flip. Use your keyboard to type the missing word. When you have finished, click "submit." If your answer is correct, the tile will flash. If your answer is incorrect, the incorrect portion of your entry will appear in red and all correct letters will appear in yellow. You can use the "Hint" button for help. Click Here!

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