How Does Water Bond - Covalent Bonds | Properties of Matter | Chemistry | FuseSchool

Learn the basics about the covalent bonding of water, when learning about covalent bonding within properties of matter.

Water is made from one oxygen atom and two hydrogens. The oxygen has 6 electrons in its outer shell, but it really wants to have 8 to have a full shell. The hydrogens have one outer shell electron, but want to have two. The atoms share their electrons, forming covalent bonds. So all three atoms have full outer shells, and create a water molecule.

Water has two covalent bonds.

In water, the bonding electrons spend most of their time nearer the oxygen atom, because it is more ELECTRONEGATIVE. This means that it is electron withdrawing.

As the negatively charged electrons are nearer the oxygen atom, the oxygen atom becomes a little bit negative itself, while the hydrogens become a little positive. This is called delta positive and delta negative.

Water doesn’t just have any old covalent bonds; it has what we call POLAR COVALENT bonds and is a POLAR molecule. This is really important as it affects how water behaves and reacts with other elements.

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[sirleomerbueza]

We are using your video in our SMMS OHSP..

[miansherazshafi]

It'll help me in my science exam tomorrow

[monfera]

There _are_, and definitely were, some electrons flying around, and the reason the oxygen atom doesn't pick up two more electrons has a different reason. After all the oxygen nucleus somehow got 8 electrons already just fine, and it's not 7 or 9. The oxygen has 8 protons ie. positive charges in its nucleus, and therefore it forms an overall neutral charge with exactly 8 electrons. Any incoming new single electron is repelled by the already present electrons, or some of the present ones will go. Yet the oxygen is happy to accept a couple of electrons as long as they're chaperoned by a proton each, in order that their combined charge is neutral. Best of both words: the electrons can be shared; the oxygen gets a completion to 8 electrons in its outer orbit; yet the new constellation is charge-wise neutral ie. stable. Of course it's a highly asymmetric setup and while the water molecule is neutral overall, various parts of it are of positive or negative polarity. This makes water molecules attract each other via another bond called the hydrogen bond.

[rubidu]

can someone link me the video that was meant to be linked in the beginning ?

[nicoletsang]

why are covalent bonds of water stronger than the ionic bonds in the salt molecules?