Electron Distortion and Chemical Bonds
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Electron Distortion and Chemical Bonds
What exactly is electron distortion, and how does this lead to ionic bonds having covalent bond characteristics? What does it mean when an ion has a high distortion, and thus has a high polarizing power, and how are these concepts related to the fact that ionic bonds have slightly covalent characteristics?
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Re: Electron Distortion and Chemical Bonds
Electron distortion is when the electrons of the anion are attracted to the cation, which causes the shape of the electron density to change slightly. When we talk about ionic bonds, we usually think it means a bond where the more electronegative atom has completely removed an electron from the less electronegative one. But once the anion and cation are formed, the electrons surrounding the anion will be attracted to the positive charge of the cation. The distortion of the electron density shape leads to an ionic bond having covalent bond characteristics because the electrons are not completely separate from the cation anymore, they are now slightly closer to the cation. The cation is the polarizing ion and the anion is the polarizable ion. The electron density of the anion is the one that's being distorted or polarized.
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