MOLECULES AND BONDING

Our bridge to chemistry is the molecule. Atoms tend to exist in nature as molecules, and molecules react to form compounds. Reactions can occur covalently, when two atoms share electrons, or ionically, by electron transfer. Properties of molecules include their structure, bond order, polarity, and stereochemistry. Intermolecular forces, including hydrogen bonding and Van der Waals forces, determine a co mpound’s physical properties like boiling point and solubility. For example, more polar molecules tend to have higher boiling points.