How many bonds can lithium form

Caution: This method works well for elements in Rows 1 & 2. Elements in row 3 and above may deviate from the guidelines as they can exceed octet.

Índice Show

Electrons In The Shells
Examples of Compounds with Lithium
How do you determine number of bonds?
How many bonds can each element form?
What can lithium bond with?
How many bonds are there?

There’s a general guideline that is helpful in figuring out the number of bonds each element makes. This comes in handy especially when drawing Lewis structures. It’s called the HONC rule, or sometimes known as HONC 1234 rule. The number refers to the number of bonds each of the element makes: Hydrogen makes 1 bond, Oxygen makes 2 bonds, Nitrogen makes 3 bonds and Carbon makes 4 bonds. These four elements are widely used when it comes to drawing Lewis structures at introductory chemistry level.

You might be curious to know why those elements make the stated number of bonds. It’s pretty simple if you look at their Lewis symbols. A quick run through on Lewis symbol. It consists of two parts:

Chemical symbol
Valence electrons

Since all elements in the same group share the same pattern in their electron configuration, this means that they have the same number of valence electrons. Therefore it’s easy to group them together, like this:

Notice how the electrons are filled when drawing Lewis symbols. Picture 4 imaginary rectangles surrounding the chemical symbol (X), like this:

Each of the boxes will take up to 2 electrons maximum, amounting to a total of 8 electrons, representing octet. Once we got the Lewis symbol down, it’s easy to explain why it’s HONC 1234. Let’s start with hydrogen. The Lewis symbol is given on the left. Since there’s room for one more electron (pink box), hydrogen will pair up with 1 electron from another element to form 1 bond.

We’ll apply the same reasoning for oxygen. Notice in oxygen, there are already 2 filled boxes (green boxes). Leaving space to take in 2 more electrons in the other 2 (pink) boxes. As a result, oxygen will make 2 bonds.

Using the same explanation for the rest will help explain how elements form the given number of bonds:

Group 4A elements form 4 bonds
Group 5A elements form 3 bonds
Group 6A elements form 2 bonds
Group 7A elements form 1 bond

Can you explain why Group 3A elements form 3 bonds? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Check out the blackboard. That box on the left has all of the information you need to know about one element. It tells you the mass of one atom, how many pieces are inside, and where it should be placed on the periodic table.

In the next section we're going to cover electron orbitals or electron shells. This may be a new topic to some of you.

Electrons In The Shells

Take a look at the picture below. Each of those colored balls is an electron. In an atom, the electrons spin around the center, also called the nucleus. The electrons like to be in separate shells/orbitals. Shell number one can only hold 2 electrons, shell two can hold 8, and for the first eighteen elements shell three can hold a maximum of eight electrons. As you learn about elements with more than eighteen electrons you will find that shell three can hold more than eight. Once one shell is full, the next electron that is added has to move to the next shell.

So... for the element of LITHIUM, you already know that the atomic number tells you the number of electrons. That means there are 3 electrons in a lithium atom. Looking at the picture, you can see there are two electrons in shell one and only one in shell two.

Say It/Find It
Orbitals/Bonds
Previous Element
Next Element
Element List
Periodic Table
More Topics

Examples of Compounds with Lithium

How do you determine number of bonds?

The number of bonds for a neutral atom is equal to the number of electrons in the full valence shell (2 or 8 electrons) minus the number of valence electrons.

How many bonds can each element form?

Generally speaking, each atom will form as many bonds as are necessary to completely fill its outermost electron shell. For example, oxygen is in group VI, and it has six valence electrons, but there is space for eight electrons in its valence shell.

What can lithium bond with?

It reacts easily with hydrogen at almost 500ºC (930ºF) to form lithium hydride. Metallic lithium's reaction with water is extremely vigorous. Lithium reacts directly with the carbon to produce the carbure. It binds easily with halogens and forms halogenures with light emission.

How many bonds are there?

There are four types of bonds or interactions: ionic, covalent, hydrogen bonds, and van der Waals interactions. Ionic and covalent bonds are strong interactions that require a larger energy input to break apart.