Questions on Chemical Bonding
Multiple-Choice Questions on Chemical Bonding
1. Which of the following best describes an ionic bond?
A) Sharing of electrons between atoms
B) Transfer of electrons from one atom to another
C) Equal sharing of electrons
D) Overlap of orbitals
E) Attraction between nuclei and shared electrons
2. A covalent bond is formed when:
A) Electrons are lost from both atoms
B) Electrons are gained by both atoms
C) Electrons are transferred between atoms
D) Electrons are shared between atoms
E) Ions attract each other
3. Which of the following pairs of elements is most likely to form an ionic bond?
A) Oxygen and chlorine
B) Carbon and hydrogen
C) Sodium and chlorine
D) Nitrogen and oxygen
E) Sulfur and phosphorus
4. Which of these substances contains covalent bonds?
A) NaCl
B) MgO
C) H₂O
D) KBr
E) CaF₂
5. What type of bond is present in metallic solids?
A) Ionic
B) Covalent
C) Polar
D) Metallic
E) Hydrogen
6. Which is a characteristic of metallic bonding?
A) Localized electrons
B) Electrons transferred from metal to nonmetal
C) Mobile sea of electrons
D) Hydrogen bonding
E) Rigid crystal structure
7. What is a polar covalent bond?
A) Equal sharing of electrons
B) Unequal sharing of electrons
C) Complete transfer of electrons
D) Metallic electron cloud
E) Electrostatic attraction between ions
8. Which compound contains a nonpolar covalent bond?
A) HCl
B) CO
C) O₂
D) H₂O
E) NH₃
9. Which of the following bonds is the strongest?
A) Hydrogen bond
B) London dispersion force
C) Dipole-dipole interaction
D) Ionic bond
E) Covalent bond
10. The octet rule states that atoms tend to:
A) Lose electrons to form noble gases
B) Gain or share electrons to achieve 8 valence electrons
C) Share 4 electrons only
D) Form 8 bonds
E) Remain unbonded
11. Which of the following has a triple bond?
A) Cl₂
B) H₂
C) N₂
D) H₂O
E) CH₄
12. In which compound is hydrogen bonding most likely to occur?
A) CH₄
B) HCl
C) H₂S
D) NH₃
E) CO₂
13. Which bond type is the result of electrostatic forces between oppositely charged ions?
A) Covalent
B) Ionic
C) Metallic
D) Hydrogen
E) Van der Waals
14. Which molecule has the most polar bond?
A) O₂
B) N₂
C) HF
D) Cl₂
E) Br₂
15. Lattice energy is greatest in compounds with:
A) Small, singly charged ions
B) Large ions and low charges
C) Large, multiply charged ions
D) Small, multiply charged ions
E) Nonpolar covalent bonds
16. What type of bond holds the atoms together in a diamond?
A) Ionic
B) Metallic
C) Covalent
D) Hydrogen
E) van der Waals
17. Which of these is a characteristic of ionic compounds?
A) Low melting point
B) Poor electrical conductivity in solution
C) Good solubility in nonpolar solvents
D) Crystalline solid at room temperature
E) Malleable and ductile
18. Which of the following has a linear molecular shape?
A) CH₄
B) NH₃
C) H₂O
D) CO₂
E) SO₂
19. Which element is the most electronegative?
A) Oxygen
B) Nitrogen
C) Fluorine
D) Chlorine
E) Sulfur
20. What is the bond angle in a tetrahedral molecule like CH₄?
A) 90°
B) 109.5°
C) 120°
D) 180°
E) 60°
21. Which molecule exhibits resonance?
A) H₂O
B) CH₄
C) CO₂
D) O₃
E) NaCl
22. Delocalized electrons are characteristic of which type of bond?
A) Ionic
B) Polar covalent
C) Hydrogen
D) Metallic
E) Nonpolar covalent
23. Which of these is not an intermolecular force?
A) Hydrogen bonding
B) Dipole-dipole interaction
C) Covalent bond
D) London dispersion forces
E) Ion-dipole forces
24. What is the molecular geometry of NH₃?
A) Linear
B) Bent
C) Tetrahedral
D) Trigonal planar
E) Trigonal pyramidal
25. Which of the following compounds has only nonpolar covalent bonds?
A) HCl
B) NH₃
C) F₂
D) CH₄
E) H₂O
26. Which factor does not affect bond strength?
A) Bond length
B) Bond order
C) Electronegativity difference
D) Atomic radius
E) Color of the element
27. What happens to electrons in a covalent bond?
A) Transferred completely
B) Lost by one atom
C) Shared between atoms
D) Pulled to the nucleus
E) Ejected to outer space
28. What is the formal charge of nitrogen in NO₃⁻ (nitrate ion)?
A) +1
B) 0
C) –1
D) +2
E) –2
29. Which species has a coordinate covalent bond?
A) O₂
B) CH₄
C) NH₄⁺
D) HCl
E) CO₂
30. A sigma bond (σ bond) is formed by:
A) Side-to-side overlap of p orbitals
B) Head-on overlap of orbitals
C) Attraction of opposite ions
D) Delocalized pi electrons
E) Nuclear fusion
Answers with Explanations
1. B) Transfer of electrons from one atom to another
2. D) Electrons are shared between atoms
3. C) Sodium and chlorine — metal + nonmetal = ionic
4. C) H₂O — covalent bonds between nonmetals
5. D) Metallic
6. C) Mobile sea of electrons
7. B) Unequal sharing of electrons
8. C) O₂ — equal sharing, same element
9. D) Ionic bond — stronger than individual covalent or hydrogen bonds
10. B) Gain or share electrons to achieve 8 valence electrons
11. C) N₂ — triple bond between nitrogen atoms
12. D) NH₃ — has hydrogen bonding due to N–H
13. B) Ionic
14. C) HF — high electronegativity difference
15. D) Small, multiply charged ions
16. C) Covalent — diamond is a network solid
17. D) Crystalline solid at room temperature
18. D) CO₂ — linear geometry
19. C) Fluorine — most electronegative
20. B) 109.5°
21. D) O₃ — resonance with delocalized electrons
22. D) Metallic — "sea of electrons"
23. C) Covalent bond — it is intramolecular
24. E) Trigonal pyramidal
25. C) F₂ — same atoms, equal sharing
26. E) Color of the element — not relevant
27. C) Shared between atoms
28. B) 0 — nitrogen in NO₃⁻ has a formal charge of 0
29. C) NH₄⁺ — lone pair on N donated to H⁺
30. B) Head-on overlap of orbitals
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