Questions: Which compounds would you expect to contain one or more covalent bonds?

Determine which compounds contain one or more covalent bonds by analyzing their chemical composition and bonding patterns.

Understanding covalent bonding

Covalent bonds form when atoms share electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration. This typically occurs between:

1. Two nonmetals
2. A nonmetal and a metalloid
3. Sometimes in polyatomic ions

Ionic bonds, in contrast, form between metals and nonmetals through electron transfer.

Analyzing each compound

Let's examine each compound:

1. H₅O: Hydrogen and oxygen are both nonmetals. This would form covalent bonds, though H₅O is not a stable compound (likely H₃O⁺ with water).

2. S₂: Sulfur is a nonmetal. Two sulfur atoms would form covalent bonds with each other.

3. S₂F₃₀: Sulfur and fluorine are both nonmetals. They would form covalent bonds.

4. N₂O₃: Nitrogen and oxygen are both nonmetals. They would form covalent bonds.

5. CaF₂: Calcium is a metal and fluorine is a nonmetal. This forms ionic bonds.

6. Ca₃P₂: Calcium is a metal and phosphorus is a nonmetal. This forms ionic bonds.

7. MgO: Magnesium is a metal and oxygen is a nonmetal. This forms ionic bonds.

8. CSr₄: Carbon is a nonmetal and strontium is a metal. This would have both ionic character (between Sr and C) and potentially some covalent character.

Categorizing the compounds

Compounds with covalent bonds:

• H₅O (though not a standard compound)
• S₂
• S₂F₃₀
• N₂O₃
• CSr₄ (likely has some covalent character)

Compounds with no covalent bonds (purely ionic):

• CaF₂
• Ca₃P₂
• MgO

\(\boxed{\text{Compounds with covalent bonds: H₅O, S₂, S₂F₃₀, N₂O₃, CSr₄}}\)

\(\boxed{\text{Compounds with covalent bonds: H₅O, S₂, S₂F₃₀, N₂O₃, CSr₄}}\) \(\boxed{\text{Compounds with no covalent bonds: CaF₂, Ca₃P₂, MgO}}\)