Playbook
Chemical Bonding
64 q - 1.29/paper - 3% HARD. Count pairs for a shape and electrons for a bond order.
- Questions in the bank
- 64
- q/paper (2024–25 papers)
- 1.29
- Tagged HARD
- 3%
- Subtopics
- 5
Strand: Recall
When you’ll see it
A molecule's shape, hybridisation, bond order, dipole moment or bond type.
How this chapter is tested
64 q at 1.29 a paper, 3% HARD. VSEPR (20 q) is counting electron pairs: bond pairs plus lone pairs around the central atom give the geometry, lone pairs bend it — NH₃ pyramidal, H₂O bent, XeF₄ square planar.
Molecular orbital theory (13 q) is bond order = (bonding − antibonding)/2: O₂ has 2 and two unpaired electrons, so it is paramagnetic. Dipole moment (11 q) is zero for symmetric molecules — CO₂, BF₃, CH₄, CCl₄.
The sub-skills
The distinct skills inside the chapter, in the order to learn them.
VSEPR
Steric number = bond pairs + lone pairs: 2 linear, 3 trigonal, 4 tetrahedral, 5 trigonal bipyramidal, 6 octahedral.
Bond order
(Nb − Na)/2; O₂ 2, N₂ 3, O₂⁻ 1.5, O₂²⁻ 1.
Dipole moment
Zero when the bond dipoles cancel by symmetry.
Traps to expect
Distractor shapes this chapter reuses. The Traps page covers the patterns that cut across chapters.
Shape from bond pairs only
H₂O has four electron pairs (tetrahedral arrangement) but a bent shape. The geometry of atoms, not of pairs, is asked.
O₂ as diamagnetic
Lewis structures pair every electron; MO theory leaves two unpaired in O₂, which is why it is paramagnetic.
Learn it before you drill it
This chapter has full teaching notes — foundations, worked examples, self-checks and a per-subtopic mastery checkpoint. Read the notes once, then drill subtopic by subtopic below.
Chemical Bonding notesDrill every chemical bonding question
64 questions from the bank, scoped to 5 bundled subtopics.
Drill one subtopic at a time
The 5 subtopics this playbook covers, in catalog order.
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