Molecular Formulae

When non-metals combine with other non-metals (or semi-metals), they form molecules. The bonding between the atoms is a covalent bond, where the electrons are shared to fill both atoms' valence shell.

The names of molecules are a little different to those of ionic compounds. There are some prefixes to remember so you know how many of each atom will be in the molecule. Sometimes, they have names like "water" or "ammonia" that tell us nothing at all about their composition (the atoms inside them). These are the ones we need to learn off by heart...sorry!





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