A layman's chemistry question?

Question

What determines the strength of the bonds between atoms/molecules (and so determines the state of matter at a certain temperature)?

Wikipedia is very terse and technical on the matter.

Answer 1

The strength of a bond is normal determine by the type of bond, and the distance between the atoms. It does boil down electrons, their shell, and vacancy (how many empty spaces in an orbital).

As for the temperature part. What normally determines the state of a matter is the type of bonding taking place. Molecules in the gas state are unlikely to have any bonds between the molecule. At liquid state you will find that hydrogen or wan de walls bonds between molecules. At solid state you will normal find large chains of molecules, which would be joined covalent or ionic or metallic bonds. Now that does not be that covalent or ionic or metallic bonds are not in other states,. Let me give an example, if you heat water you get steam. This happens because you are breaking weak bond BETWEEN molecules, Steam is still made up of H2O. And the h2o is still covenant joined. Another example is hydrocarbons, methane will be a gas at room temp, where as propane will not be. This is because that propane is a larger molecule of colvent bonds, which require more energy to break.

Answer 2

The type of bond: ie covalent, ionic, metallic, etc. which is determined by the elements in the compound.

Covalent bonds aren't usually broken unless at high temps, only the intermolecular forces between them (van der Waals) are broken when they become liquid or gaseous, for example water, the O-H bonds aren't broken when the temp is increased and it becomes steam.

Answer 3

That is because to some degree no one knows. It is like gravity. The apple falls but how. They came up with a math equation but what forces are at work? Estimate 9. Same here: electrons, magnetics, what else is present...

Answer 4

electrical force