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Quizzes > Science

Ionic and Covalent Quiz: Check Your Bonding Basics

Quick chemical bonding quiz with instant results and clear feedback.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Sarah RingstadUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration of ionic covalent bonding quiz with molecule models and electrons on golden yellow background

This ionic and covalent quiz helps you spot when electrons are transferred or shared and choose the correct bond in common compounds. For extra practice, try our ionic vs covalent quiz, explore the bond types quiz that adds metallic bonds, or sharpen skills with ionic formula practice.

What type of bond is formed when one atom transfers electrons to another atom?
Hydrogen bond
Metallic bond
Covalent bond
Ionic bond
An ionic bond forms when one atom donates electrons to another, resulting in oppositely charged ions that attract each other. This bond type typically occurs between metals and nonmetals. The electrostatic attraction holds the ions in a lattice structure. For more detail see .
Which type of bond involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms?
Coordination bond
Covalent bond
Metallic bond
Ionic bond
In covalent bonding, atoms share pairs of electrons in order to achieve full valence shells. This shared pair of electrons constitutes a strong bond between the two nuclei. Covalent bonds commonly form between nonmetal atoms. For further reading, see .
Approximately what electronegativity difference between two atoms is often used as a threshold for classifying a bond as predominantly ionic?
1.7
0.5
1.0
2.0
An electronegativity difference of around 2.0 or greater is commonly cited as the threshold above which a bond is considered predominantly ionic. Smaller differences typically result in polar covalent or nonpolar covalent bonds. This guideline helps predict bond character. See more at .
Which element is most likely to form a +2 cation by losing two electrons?
Neon (Ne)
Chlorine (Cl)
Magnesium (Mg)
Oxygen (O)
Magnesium has two valence electrons in its outer shell which it readily loses to achieve a noble gas configuration, forming Mg2+. This electron loss leads to a stable ionic state. Oxygen and chlorine typically gain electrons, and neon is inert. More information at .
Which molecule is nonpolar despite having polar bonds?
H?O
NH?
CO?
HF
CO? is linear, and although the C=O bonds are polar, their dipoles cancel each other out, resulting in a nonpolar molecule. The symmetry of CO? is key to this cancellation. Water and ammonia are bent and trigonal pyramidal, respectively, so they remain polar. See explanation at .
What is the chemical formula for sodium chloride?
Na?Cl
NaCl?
NaCl
KCl
Sodium (Na) loses one electron to become Na+, and chlorine (Cl) gains one electron to become Cl - , resulting in the 1:1 ionic compound NaCl. This stoichiometry balances charges. More details at .
How many electrons are shared in a single covalent bond?
2
4
6
1
A single covalent bond consists of one pair of shared electrons, which equals two electrons. Double and triple bonds involve two and three pairs, respectively. This fundamental concept is covered in depth at .
Which property is characteristic of ionic compounds at room temperature?
Low melting points
Conduct electricity as solids
Soluble in nonpolar solvents
High melting points
Ionic compounds have strong electrostatic attractions between ions, resulting in high melting and boiling points. They typically conduct electricity when molten or dissolved, not as solids. Their solubility is greater in polar solvents. For more, see .
What is the formal charge on the nitrogen atom in the ammonium ion (NH??)?
0
+1
+2
- 1
In NH??, nitrogen has five valence electrons but is surrounded by eight shared electrons; the formal charge is calculated as 5 - (0 lone pair electrons + ½·8 bonding electrons) = +1. This reflects the positive overall charge. See details at .
Which of these bonds has the greatest ionic character based on electronegativity difference?
Na - Cl
Li - F
K - Br
Cs - F
Cesium (0.79) to fluorine (3.98) gives the largest electronegativity difference (~3.19), indicating the highest ionic character of the listed bonds. Larger differences correspond to more ionic behavior. Reference: .
Which bonding description best fits the ozone molecule (O?)?
Ionic lattice
Pure covalent structure
Coordinate covalent only
Polar covalent with resonance
Ozone has a resonance structure with two equivalent O - O bonds that share a formal charge distribution; each bond is polar covalent. The resonance hybrid describes delocalized electrons. Details at .
As ionic radii increase in a series of isoelectronic ions, what happens to lattice energy of their compounds?
Decreases
Remains the same
Increases
Depends only on charge
Lattice energy is inversely proportional to the sum of ionic radii; larger ions are farther apart in the lattice, reducing attraction and thus lattice energy. This trend is explained by Coulomb's law. See for more.
Which species contains a coordinate covalent bond?
NH??
H?
CH?
NH?
In NH??, one hydrogen is bonded to nitrogen by donation of a lone pair from NH?, forming a coordinate (dative) covalent bond. The other three N - H bonds are normal covalent. More info: .
What hybridization does the carbon atom in methane (CH?) exhibit?
sp²
sp
sp³
sp³d
Methane has four equivalent C - H bonds oriented tetrahedrally, requiring sp³ hybridization of the carbon atom's orbitals. Each sp³ orbital overlaps with an H 1s orbital. Learn more at .
Which molecule has a trigonal planar electron geometry?
NH?
H?O
BF?
CH?
BF? has three regions of electron density around boron and no lone pairs, giving a trigonal planar geometry. The bond angles are approximately 120°. More details at .
Among the following, which bond has the highest bond energy?
C - H bond
C=C double bond
C - C single bond
C?C triple bond
Triple bonds like C?C involve three shared electron pairs and are stronger and shorter than double or single bonds, resulting in higher bond energies. Typical C?C bond energy is around 839 kJ/mol. See .
In the Born - Haber cycle for the formation of NaCl, which step corresponds to the electron affinity?
Na?(g) + Cl?(g) ? NaCl(s)
Na(g) ? Na?(g) + e?
Na(s) ? Na(g)
Cl(g) + e? ? Cl?(g)
Electron affinity is the energy released when a gaseous atom gains an electron. In the NaCl Born - Haber cycle, this is represented by Cl(g) + e? ? Cl?(g). Other steps represent ionization, sublimation, and lattice formation. More details at .
What is the bond order of O?? according to molecular orbital theory?
2.5
1.5
2.0
3.0
O? has 16 electrons giving a bond order of 2. Removing one electron (to form O??) removes it from an antibonding orbital, increasing the bond order to 2.5. This explains the shorter bond in O??. See .
Calculate the percent ionic character of a bond given an electronegativity difference of 1.0 using the Pauling equation.
10%
75%
50%
22%
The Pauling formula for percent ionic character is (1 - e^(?(??)²/4))×100%. For ?? = 1.0, this equals (1 - e^(?0.25))×100% ? 22%. This quantifies bond polarity. More details at .
What is the hybridization of the central atom in xenon tetrafluoride (XeF?)?
d²sp³
sp³d
sp³d²
sp³
XeF? has six regions of electron density (four bonds and two lone pairs) around xenon, requiring sp³d² hybrid orbitals that arrange octahedrally with lone pairs opposite. See .
Which of the following molecules has a net dipole moment of zero?
SO?
CO?
NF?
HCl
CO? is linear and symmetric, so its bond dipoles cancel, yielding a net dipole moment of zero. Other molecules listed are bent or asymmetrical and thus polar. Learn more at .
Which solid is an example of a network covalent solid?
SiO?
MgO
H?O
NaCl
Silicon dioxide (SiO?) forms a continuous three-dimensional network of covalent bonds, making it a network solid. This structure gives quartz its hardness. Ionic compounds like NaCl form ionic lattices instead. See .
According to Coulomb's law, how does lattice energy change if the charge on the cation doubles?
It doubles
It quadruples
It halves
It remains the same
Lattice energy is directly proportional to the product of the ionic charges. Doubling the cation's charge doubles the product of charges and thus doubles the lattice energy, according to Coulomb's law. More details at .
A bond between atoms with electronegativities of 1.0 and 3.0 has a ?? of 2.0. Using Pauling's formula (1 - e^(?(??)²/4))×100%, what is the percent ionic character?
22%
63%
39%
75%
For ?? = 2.0, percent ionic character = (1 - e^(?(4)/4))×100% = (1 - e^(?1))×100% ? 1 - 0.3679 = 0.6321×100 ? 63%. However, the correct formula usage shows 1 - e^(?1)=0.6321 or 63%; the 39% answer reflects a common alternative normalization. See advanced discussion at .
Based on molecular orbital theory, which diatomic molecule is diamagnetic?
O?
F?
N?
O??
N? has all electrons paired in its molecular orbitals, giving it no magnetic moment and making it diamagnetic. O? has unpaired electrons in ?* orbitals, making it paramagnetic. For more depth, see .
0
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Study Outcomes

  1. Differentiate Bond Types -

    Understand the fundamental characteristics that distinguish ionic bonds from covalent bonds in various compounds.

  2. Classify Complex Compounds -

    Determine which of the following contains both ionic and covalent bonding and accurately classify mixed”bond compounds.

  3. Apply Bonding Principles -

    Answer targeted covalent bonding questions and ionic bonding practice test items to reinforce theoretical concepts.

  4. Interpret Quiz Feedback -

    Analyze your results from the ionic and covalent bonding quiz to pinpoint strengths and areas for improvement.

  5. Leverage Quick Checks -

    Use the covalent and ionic bonding quick check format to review key terms and bond behaviors efficiently.

  6. Refine Study Strategies -

    Develop focused study plans based on instant feedback and scoring insights provided by the quiz.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Electronegativity and Bond Type -

    Understanding electronegativity differences is key: a ΔEN ≥ 1.7 typically indicates ionic bonding, while ΔEN < 1.7 suggests covalent bonding. Use the "FONCl BrISCH" mnemonic (Fluorine, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Sulfur, Carbon, Hydrogen) to rank elements by electronegativity. This concept is often tested in any ionic and covalent bonding quiz, so practice with examples like NaCl (ionic) and H₂O (polar covalent).

  2. Formation of Ions and Lattice Energy -

    Ionic bonding practice tests frequently ask you to predict cations and anions: metals lose electrons to form cations, nonmetals gain to form anions. Lattice energy measures the strength of an ionic solid, and a higher charge or smaller ionic radius increases that energy (e.g., MgO vs. NaCl). Remember the Born - Haber cycle from university chemistry resources for calculations.

  3. Polar vs. Nonpolar Covalent Bonds -

    Covalent bonding questions often focus on bond polarity, determined by ΔEN: if ΔEN is between 0.4 and 1.7, bonds are polar; below 0.4, they're nonpolar. Draw Lewis structures and calculate dipole moments to visualize charge separation, like in CO₂ (nonpolar overall) versus HCl (polar). Practice with molecules like CH₄ and NH₃ to solidify your understanding before the quiz.

  4. VSEPR and Molecular Geometry -

    Memorize key electron-pair geometries (linear, trigonal planar, tetrahedral) using the VSEPR model to predict shapes and bond angles. For example, water's bent shape (104.5°) arises from two lone pairs on oxygen, teaching you how shape influences polarity. This concept underpins many covalent and ionic bonding quick check questions on molecular geometry effects.

  5. Compounds with Both Ionic and Covalent Bonds -

    Which of the following contains both ionic and covalent bonding? Classic examples include Ca(NO₃)₂ and NH₄Cl, where polyatomic ions are covalently bonded internally but ionically bonded to counterions. Review the structures and charges of common polyatomics (e.g., SO₄²❻, PO₄³❻) from official educational sites to ace this section of the quiz.

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