Question

Use the example bond energies of ionic versus covalent bonds to complete the activity.

Ionic: Li–Br = 807 kJ/mol, NaCl = 787 kJ/mol

Covalent: H–H = 432 kJ/mol, C–O = 358 kJ/mol

What is the general trend you notice about the bond energies for ionic versus covalent bonds? What can be inferred from this pattern? What special attribute can explain why this difference occurs? Construct your argument in three simple and short sentences.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
Ionic bonds generally have higher bond energies compared to covalent bonds, as seen with Li–Br (807 kJ/mol) and NaCl (787 kJ/mol) versus H–H (432 kJ/mol) and C–O (358 kJ/mol). This trend suggests that ionic bonds are stronger and require more energy to break than covalent bonds. The difference can be attributed to the strong electrostatic forces between the oppositely charged ions in ionic compounds, which are not present to the same extent in covalent bonds.