Table of Contents
A coordinate bond is a kind of alternate covalent bond that can be formed by sharing an electron pair from a single atom. Both the electrons that are shared in this type of bond are donated by the same atom. These types of bonds are also called dative bonds or dipolar bonds.
Coordinate covalent bonds can generally be formed by the reactions that involve two non-metals such as a hydrogen atom during bond formation between metals ions and ligands.
Characteristics Of Coordinate Covalent Bonds
There are various characteristics of coordinate covalent bonds such as:
- In a coordinate covalent bond, the atom that shares its electron pair is termed as the donor or donor atom.
- The other atom that accepts the shared pairs of electrons by the donor is known as a receptor or acceptor.
- The bond formed via the transaction of these electrons is represented with an arrow →, that points towards the acceptor atom from the donor atom.
- After sharing of electrons is complete both the atom, donor and acceptor atom gets stability.
- This type of bonding revolves around the Lewis theory.
- Accurately designing complex organic molecules can be achieved via a good understanding of coordinate covalent bonds.
Co-ordinate Covalent Bond
A coordination bond is often depicted differently on paper; in a molecule, it is indistinguishable from other NH bonds both in bond length and in strength. The coordinated bonds are virtually identical in length and strength, so the arrangement of the electrons must be the same.
One of these bonds is a coordinate covalent bond, where one atom donates two electrons to a common pair of covalent bonds. A coordinate bond is a covalent bond between two atoms, one of which donates the two electrons that form the bond. For coordinative or coordinative bonds discussed here, one atom donates two electrons in a covalent bond that forms with another atom that has an empty orbital.
How Co-ordinate Covalent Bonds Are Formed?
A coordinate covalent bond is formed when a phosphorus atom donates its lone pair of electrons to a single hydrogen ion. The diagram below shows how a lone pair of electrons on an ammonia molecule combines with a proton to form a positively charged ammonium ion. The lone pair of electrons from the nitrogen atom in the ammonia molecule can be used to overcome the electron deficiency and form compounds containing coordination bonds. As shown in the Lewis structure, nitrogen has two unpaired electrons (also called lone pair or nonbonding electrons) that attract positively charged hydrogen ions.
Dipolar Bond
An alternative description is that the basic amine donates an electron to the oxygen atom, which is then used with the remaining unpaired electron on the nitrogen atom to form a standard covalent bond. The term dipolar bond is used in organic chemistry for compounds such as amine oxides, whose electronic structure can be described in terms of a basic amine donating two electrons to an oxygen atom. A coordination bond is a type of chemical bond that is formed by the transfer of a lone electron pair from one atom to another atom.
Coordinate bonds are formed when an atom donates one of its extra electron pairs to another atom. Coordination bonds are formed when the chlorine atoms of beryllium chloride molecules donate electron pairs to electron-deficient regions of other beryllium chloride molecules. The bond between the two molecules is coordinated by a lone pair of chlorine atoms. When a coordinate bond is formed, energy is released, so the dimer is energetically more stable than two separate aluminium chloride molecules.
Example:
Each atom of aluminium (Al) has a deficit of two electrons in its valence shell, while chlorine (Cl) has a lone pair. Carbon (C) has four electrons in its valence shell, while oxygen (O) has six. Oxygen shares its two electrons with carbon (C), forming a coordinate covalent bond in addition to the two regular (double) covalent bonds.
The last two valence electrons exist as a lone electron pair, and the last two valence electrons can form a coordinate covalent bond with another acceptor atom. The six valence electrons are not bonded to any atom and exist as lone pairs of electrons. The latter bond can be considered a coordinate covalent bond since the bonding electrons come from one of the bonding atoms.
At this point, a double bond is formed between the two atoms, each atom donating an electron to each bond. One electron per atom must participate in the formation of a single bond. The nucleus of the hydrogen atom participates in the bonding, but the hydrogen does not donate electrons to the process.
Ammonium Ion
When the ammonium ion is formed, the fourth hydrogen is covalently bound by coordination, as only the hydrogen nucleus is transferred from the chlorine to the nitrogen. Bonds in ammonium ions (and similar ions formed by most other metals) are coordinated (covalently) using lone pairs on six water molecules. The bound water molecules of the hydrated metal ions are strongly attracted to the ions (water molecules) in the solution, and these ions are clustered around positive or negative ions.
Metal ions can form coordinate bonds with electron-rich species called ligands. Coordinated bonds are formed and the resulting compound is called a coordination complex and the electron donors are called ligands.
Dative Covalent Bond
Coordinated covalent bonds are usually formed in reactions involving two non-metals, such as a hydrogen atom, or in the formation of bonds between metal ions and ligands. Coordinated covalent bonds are a special class of covalent bonds that form when a bonding electron pair is donated by only one of the bonding atoms. An example of a dative covalent bond is the interaction between an ammonia molecule, a Lewis base with a lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom, and boron trifluoride, a Lewis acid due to the fact that the boron atom has an incomplete octet of electrons.
Two unpaired electrons form a bond between nitrogen and boron, resulting in full octets for both atoms. Electron pairs are attracted to the two nuclei, holding them together, forming a bond. A chemical bond is the bonding of two atoms through the exchange of electrons. The image below shows that the molecule has two regular covalent bonds, the beryllium atom has two empty orbitals, and lone pairs of electrons are acceptable.
Another way how you might find coordinated connections?
The uninteresting electrons on two molecules bonded together are decolourized to make the coordinated bonds look better. However, it is generally true that bonds thus represented are polar covalent, sometimes strongly, and some authors argue that there are genuine differences in the properties of a dative bond and bond to a shared electron, and suggest that they show a dative bond. , which is more appropriate in specific situations.
FAQs:
What is a coordinate bond?
Co-ordinate bond is a kind of alternate covalent bond that can be formed by sharing an electron pair from a single atom. Both the electrons that are shared in this type of bond are donated by the same atom.
What is a donor and acceptor atom?
The atom that shares its electron pair is termed as the donor or donor atom whereas The atom that accepts the shared pairs of electrons by the donor is known as a receptor or acceptor atom.
