gcsescience.com                                                                 22                                                                 gcsescience.com

Atomic Structure

Covalent Bonding - Chlorine.

A chlorine atom has 7 electrons in its outer shell.
Chlorine is in group 7 of the periodic table.
Two chlorine atoms will each share one electron
to get a full outer shell and form a stable Cl2 molecule.

Chlorine is a simple molecule.
The Formation of a Chlorine Molecule from Atoms.
Each chlorine atom can count 8 electrons in its outer shell
by sharing the two electrons where the shells touch.
These full outer shells are now stable,
and the Cl2
molecule will not react further with other chlorine atoms.
One pair of shared electrons form a single covalent bond.

There are no ions present (no + or - charges) because
the electrons are shared, not transferred from one atom to another.

back               Headings               Search               Questions               next

gcsescience.com      Contents      The Periodic Table      Index      Quizzes      gcsescience.com

Copyright © 2008 Dr. Colin France. All Rights Reserved.