Question

a) Of the chemical bonding types often found in minerals, which is the strongest and which is the weakest? Why?

b) Water molecules in ice are an example of what type of bond? Explain.

Answer 1

(a)Chemical bonds in minerals are of four types(1) covalent bond (2) ionic bond (3) metallic bond (4) Van der Waal bonds.

Ionic bonds are strong bonds formed when electrons are transferred from one element to another. Since electrons carry a negative electrostatic charge, the element that acquires extra electrons becomes a negatively charged ion, an anion. The element that gave off the electron becomes a positively charged ion, a cation. The attraction between opposite charges binds anions and cations together in ionic compounds.

Vander Waals bonds are very weak bonds formed by residual charges from the other types of chemical bonds. Graphite is probably the best example of the nature of Van der Waals bonds. The atoms in graphite's carbon layers are covalently bonded, but a weak residual charge attracts the layers to one another. Van der Waals bonds make graphite a very soft mineral.

Example it is used in pencil lead.

(b)In ice the type of bonds are Hydrogen bonds.In Ice each water molecule is surrounded by four neighboring water molecules.Two of these are hydrogen-bonded to the oxygen atom on the central H₂O molecule, and each of the two hydrogen atoms is similarly bonded to another neighboring H₂O.