Attractive and Repulsive Forces

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Ion Noun

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[ahy-on]

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Ion

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An atom or molecule with a net electric charge resulting from the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

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Example: This diagram shows how a solid made of positive (cation) and negative (anion) ions dissolves in water, illustrating the attractive forces between them.

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Coulomb Force Noun

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[koo-lom fawrs]

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Coulomb Force

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The electrostatic force of attraction or repulsion that acts between two electrically charged particles, such as ions.

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Example: This diagram shows that the Coulomb force causes like charges (positive-positive, negative-negative) to repel and opposite charges (positive-negative) to attract.

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Cation Noun

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[kat-ahy-on]

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Cation

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A positively charged ion that is formed when a neutral atom loses one or more of its valence electrons.

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Example: A neutral sodium (Na) atom loses its outer electron, resulting in a positively charged sodium ion (Na+), which is a cation.

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Anion Noun

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[an-ahy-on]

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Anion

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A negatively charged ion that is formed when a neutral atom gains one or more electrons in its valence shell.

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Example: A neutral chlorine atom gains a negatively charged electron, becoming a chloride anion with an overall negative charge, which can now attract positive charges.

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Ionic Bond Noun

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[ahy-on-ik bond]

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Ionic Bond

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A chemical bond formed through the electrostatic attraction between two oppositely charged ions, a cation and an anion.

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Example: Oppositely charged ions, like positive sodium (Na+) and negative chloride (Cl-), attract each other, forming a strong, repeating 3D crystal lattice structure.

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Valence electrons Noun

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[vey-luhns ih-lek-trons]

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Valence electrons

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The electrons located in the outermost electron shell of an atom that participate in the formation of chemical bonds.

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Example: This diagram of an oxygen atom shows the six electrons in the outermost shell, which are the valence electrons responsible for chemical bonding.

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Covalent Bond Noun

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[koh-vey-luhnt bond]

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Covalent Bond

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A chemical bond that involves the sharing of one or more electron pairs between atoms, holding them together.

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Example: This image shows a water molecule where one oxygen atom shares electrons with two hydrogen atoms, forming strong covalent bonds that hold them together.

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Molecule Noun

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[mol-i-kyool]

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Molecule

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An electrically neutral group of two or more atoms held together by one or more covalent chemical bonds.

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Example: This diagram shows how attractive forces cause two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom to share electrons, forming a stable water molecule.

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Bond length Noun

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[bond length]

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Bond length

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The equilibrium distance between the nuclei of two atoms that are chemically bonded to each other within a molecule.

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Example: This diagram shows that bond length is the distance measured between the centers (nuclei) of two atoms that are chemically joined together.

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Chirality Noun

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[kahy-ral-i-tee]

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Chirality

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A geometric property of a molecule that is non-superimposable on its mirror image, resulting in left- and right-handed versions.

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Example: This image shows that your left and right hands are mirror images, but they cannot be perfectly stacked on top of each other (superimposed), which is the property of chirality.