Fundamentals of Chemistry
DOE-HDBK-1015/1-93
CHEMICAL BONDING
Rev. 0
CH-01
Page 35
Chemical Bonding Summary (Cont.)
In general, the fewer electrons an element must lose, gain, or share to reach a stable
shell structure, the more chemically active the element is. The likelihood of elements
forming compounds is strongly influenced by the valence shell and on the stability of
the resulting molecule. The more stable the molecules are, the more likely these
molecules are to form.
Elements combine in specific ratios, regardless of the type of bond, to form molecules.
The three basic laws of chemical reactions are discussed:
(1) The Law of Conservation of Mass - "In a chemical reaction the total mass of the
products equal the total mass of the reactants."
(2) The Law of Definite Proportions - "No matter how a given chemical compound
is prepared, it always contains the same elements in the same proportions by
mass."
(3) The Law of Multiple Proportions - "If two elements combine together to form
more than one compound, then the masses of one of these elements combining
with a fixed mass of the other are in a simple ratio to one another."
