How are sigma bonds drawn?

1 Answer
reudhreghs
Apr 8, 2016

It depends how you want to draw it. In skeletal formula, it is simply a straight line.

Explanation:

A sigma bond is the first bond between two atoms, and is the strongest sort of covalent bond.

In skeletal formula, used to draw organic molecules with straight lines representing bonds (more than one line means double or triple bonding), a #sigma#-bond is simply one straight line.

If you want to draw a sigma bond in terms of orbitals, you do something like this

https://socratic.org/questions/why-are-pi-bonds-weaker-than-sigma-bonds

This diagram shows the head-on overlap of two orbitals forming a #sigma#-bond, in green, as well as the side-on overlap of p-orbitals in blue, forming #pi#-bonds. These side-on overlaps are less well established, so #pi#-bonds are weaker than #sigma#-bonds.

The up and down arrows, #uarrdarr#, show the spin of electrons in an electron pair.

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