Ammonium nitrate, NH₄NO₃, contains which combination of bond types?
Aionic and covalent only
Bdative and metallic only
Ccovalent and metallic only
Dionic, dative and covalent
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. ionic, dative and covalent
1. The compound splits into the NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ ions, held together by an ionic bond.
2. Within the ammonium ion, three N–H bonds are ordinary covalent bonds.
3. The fourth forms when nitrogen donates its lone pair to H⁺, which is a dative (coordinate) bond.
4. The nitrate ion is held together by covalent bonds between nitrogen and oxygen.
5. So all three types are present. Missing the dative bond was the recorded gap, and metallic bonding appears nowhere in this compound.
_Source: NECTA ACSEE 2023 Chemistry 132/1, Question 3: Chemical Bonding_
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