CCEA GCSE Chemistry
CCEA GCSE Chemistry 1.2 Bonding Exam Questions
Free CCEA GCSE Chemistry revision for 1.2 Bonding: what you need to know, common mistakes and exam-style questions with answers. Covers ionic bonding by electron transfer, covalent bonding with single, double and triple bonds, metallic bonding and dot and cross diagrams.
Practise 1.2 Bonding with past papers
Once you have learnt this topic, find the 1.2 Bonding questions in real CCEA GCSE Chemistry past papers and mark them with the mark scheme. Doing lots of real questions is the quickest way to learn how examiners ask about each idea.
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About CCEA GCSE Chemistry 1.2 Bonding
Bonding is a Unit 1 topic in CCEA GCSE Chemistry that explains how atoms join together to become more stable. You need to describe ionic bonding as the transfer of electrons from metal to non-metal atoms, covalent bonding as the sharing of electron pairs between non-metal atoms, and metallic bonding as positive ions in a sea of delocalised electrons. Drawing dot and cross diagrams accurately is a key skill. This topic follows directly from electronic configuration in atomic structure and leads into structures and properties in 1.3 and formulae in 1.5. Examiners frequently ask for dot and cross diagrams of compounds such as magnesium oxide, water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
What you need to know
- Why atoms bond Atoms bond to achieve a stable electronic configuration, usually a full outer shell like a noble gas.
- Ionic bonding Metal atoms lose electrons to form positive ions and non-metal atoms gain electrons to form negative ions. For example sodium (2,8,1) loses one electron to form Na+ (2,8) and chlorine (2,8,7) gains one to form Cl- (2,8,8). The ionic bond is the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.
- Covalent bonding Non-metal atoms share pairs of electrons. A single bond is one shared pair (as in H2, HCl, H2O, CH4), a double bond is two shared pairs (as in O2 and CO2) and a triple bond is three shared pairs (as in N2).
- Metallic bonding Metals consist of a regular lattice of positive ions surrounded by a sea of delocalised electrons. The metallic bond is the attraction between the positive ions and the delocalised electrons.
- Dot and cross diagrams Show electrons from one atom as dots and the other as crosses. For ionic compounds draw only outer shells of the ions, put square brackets around each ion and show the charge outside. For covalent molecules show shared pairs in the overlap and include all non-bonding outer electrons.
Common mistakes in 1.2 Bonding
- Describing an ionic bond as sharing electrons. Ionic bonding involves electron transfer and attraction between ions.
- Leaving out the charges or square brackets on ions in dot and cross diagrams.
- Forgetting the lone pairs on oxygen in water or on nitrogen in nitrogen gas. All outer electrons must be shown.
- Saying metal atoms are in a sea of electrons. It is positive metal ions surrounded by delocalised electrons.
- Drawing a magnesium ion with charge +1. Magnesium loses two electrons to form Mg2+, and oxygen gains two to form O2-.
Try three 1.2 Bonding exam-style questions
1. Describe, in terms of electrons, how magnesium and oxygen form magnesium oxide. (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Each magnesium atom loses two electrons; each oxygen atom gains two electrons; forming Mg2+ and O2- ions with full outer shells; oppositely charged ions are held together by electrostatic attraction.
2. Draw or describe the dot and cross diagram for a nitrogen molecule. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Three shared pairs of electrons between the two nitrogen atoms (triple bond); each nitrogen atom also has one lone pair.
3. Describe the bonding in a metal. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Positive metal ions in a regular lattice; surrounded by a sea of delocalised electrons, with attraction between them.
1.2 Bonding FAQs
What does CCEA GCSE Chemistry 1.2 Bonding cover?
It covers ionic, covalent and metallic bonding and how to draw dot and cross diagrams for ionic compounds and covalent molecules.
Which unit is 1.2 Bonding examined in?
It is examined in the Unit 1 written paper, Structures, Trends, Chemical Reactions, Quantitative Chemistry and Analysis.
How do I get dot and cross diagrams right?
Work out the electronic configuration first, decide whether electrons are transferred or shared, then count that every atom or ion has a full outer shell. Practise common examples until you can draw them quickly.
