Covalent and Ionic Radii

[Kassidy Patron 1L]

Hi! In lecture on Monday, we talked about the covalent radius and ionic radius of atoms. Can someone explain the difference between covalent and ionic bonds, it's been a while since I learned about these topics. Also, do covalent and ionic bonds affect the size of the atom? If so, how?

[Meghan Spoeri 2D]

hi! A covalent radius and covalent bond refer to two nonmetals, whereas an ionic radius and ionic bond refers to a metal and a nonmetal. 2 atoms (nonmetals) joined by a covalent bond have a covalent radius, which is half the distance of the covalent bond between the two atom's nuclei. 2 atoms (1 nonmetal, 1 metal) joined by an ionic bond have an ionic radius, which is half the distance of the ionic bond between the two nuclei. I would assume that the bonds affect the size of the atom because they affect the size of the radius and the radius is how the atom's size is measured. Hope this helps!

[Alexis Shen 2G]

I'm not too sure about the radius changing size, but a covalent bond can also mean that electrons are shared equally while an ionic bond means that one of the elements took an electron and the two elements are 'bonded' because they are attracted to each other. Generally, covalent bonds are easier to break than ionic bonds.

[Alekhya_Pantula_2E]

Hello! Covalent bonds are the bonds created between two nonmetal molecules where the valence electrons are shared. Ionic bonds are bonds between cations and anions in which an electron is donated to one or the other.