Question

What is a single bond in chemistry?

Answer 1

A region of high electron density......

Explanation:

A single bond is a region of high electron density between 2 positively charged nuclei, such that internuclear repulsion is minimized and a net attractive force results.

Typically, chemists portray a covalent bond as the sharing of the 2 electrons between 2 atoms:

`H*+ *HrarrH-H`.

The 2 electrons that form the bond tend to be localized BETWEEN the hydrogen atoms, so that they can closely approach other. The optimum distance that maximizes internuclear attraction to the electron cloud, and minimizes internuclear repulsion between nuclei is the average `H-H` bond length, approx. `0.74xx10^(-10)*m`. `H-X` and `H-C` bonds tend to longer lengths inasmuch as the electron cloud of the heteratom is larger, and more likely to cause internuclear repulsion.