In chemistry, bond strength is the degree to which each atom joined to another in a chemical bond contributes to the valency of this other atom. Bond strength is intimately linked to bond order and can be quantified by:
- bond energy: requires lengthy calculations, even for the simplest bonds.
- bond-dissociation energy
Another criterion of bond strength is the qualitative relation between bond energies and the overlap of atomic orbitals of the bonds (Pauling and Mulliken). The more these overlap, the more the bonding electrons are to be found between the nuclei and hence stronger will be the bond. Overlap is necessary for the formation of molecular orbitals. This overlap can be calculated and is called the overlap integral.
Famous quotes containing the words bond and/or strength:
“Don’t go on a man’s bond in public, nor guarantee his debts in private.”
—Chinese proverb.
“Sprung from the West,
He drank the valorous youth of a new world.
The strength of virgin forests braced his mind,
The hush of spacious prairies stilled his soul.
His words were oaks in acorns; and his thoughts
Were roots that firmly gript the granite truth.”
—Edwin Markham (1852–1940)