Bonding and structure: Metallic, ionic, covalent molecular and covalent network structures and the properties they explain

What this note covers

1. The one idea Section D is built on: structure explains properties
2. Why bonds form: electrostatic attraction, transfer and sharing
3. Metallic structures: cations in a sea of delocalised electrons
4. Ionic structures: a lattice of oppositely charged ions
5. Covalent molecular substances, polarity and water
6. Covalent networks and the allotropes of carbon
7. Predicting structure type from physical property data
8. How Section D examines this — and what separates a top answer

8 sections · 12 key terms & formulas · 6 common mistakes