A chemical bond strength is a force holding the atoms in a bond, and separating such atoms requires energy input. The bonds are of two types- Intermolecular and Intramolecular bonds.
Intramolecular bonds join the atoms in a molecule, whereas Intermolecular bonds are only responsible for closely associating the molecules. Therefore, Intramolecular bonds require higher energy to break than intermolecular bonds.
The energy is supplied in Kilojoules for one mole of the substance and is called the bond energy or bond dissociation energy.
The bond energy values are often expressed as a range since there is no pure bond. Most bonds have a mix of two or more bonding characteristics.
For example, ionic compounds have a certain degree of covalent character. Metals show predominant metallic bonding; however, some metals also have a covalent bonding nature. A molecule forming Hydrogen bonds will also have additional London Dispersion and Dipole-Dipole interactions.
Therefore, the table below provides a typical range of the bond energy value for Intramolecular and Intermolecular Chemical Bonds in Chemistry.
| Intramolecular Bonds | Typical Bond Energy (kJ/mol) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ionic | 400 to 4000 | |
| Covalent | 150-1100 | |
| (Triple) | (800-1000) | |
| (Double) | (500-700) | |
| (Single) | (200-500) | |
| Coordinate | 80-1000 | |
| Metallic | 75-1000 | |
| Intermolecular Bonds | ||
| Ion-Dipole | 40-70 | |
| Hydrogen Bonding | 50 | |
| Dipole-Dipole | 30 | |
| Ion Induced Dipole | 3-15 | |
| Dipole- Induced Dipole | 2-10 | |
| Induced dipole- Induced Dipole | 1-40 |
Understanding about bonds is crucial to organic chemistry. Three chapters, Bonding in Atoms, Covalent Bond, and Intermolecular Forces, part of CurlyArrows' Introductory Organic Chemistry Course, cover them elaborately. Preview the Book.