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ICSE Class 10Chemistry
⏱️ 14 min read

Chemical Bonding – Ionic and Covalent

Electrovalent bonds: Complete transfer of valence electrons forming electrostatic crystal lattices.; Covalent bonds: Mutual sharing of pairs between non-metals to complete octet/duplet.

⚡ Essential Formula / LawCore Syllabus Rule
ΔEN > 1.7 → Predominantly Ionic | 0.4 ≤ ΔEN ≤ 1.7 → Polar Covalent | ΔEN < 0.4 → Non-Polar

🎯 High-Yield Syllabus Checkpoints

  • 1Electrovalent bonds: Complete transfer of valence electrons forming electrostatic crystal lattices.
  • 2Covalent bonds: Mutual sharing of pairs between non-metals to complete octet/duplet.
  • 3Coordinate (Dative) bond: Both shared electrons supplied exclusively by one donor atom (e.g. NH₄⁺, H₃O⁺).

🚨 Examiner Traps & Common Mistakes

⚠️ Common Student Pitfall

Claiming NH₄⁺ has four coordinate bonds (it has three covalent N-H bonds and ONE coordinate bond).

⚠️ Common Student Pitfall

Drawing electron dot diagrams without showing before-and-after states with ionic charges.

📚 Verified Technical Definitions

Coordinate Bond

A type of covalent bond in which both the shared electrons are provided by only one of the participating atoms.

Polar Covalent Molecule

A covalent molecule having fractional charge separation due to unequal electronegativity between bonded atoms (e.g. HCl, H₂O).

Spaced Repetition Protocol:
Day 1Day 3Day 7Day 21