chemistry

Triple bond

Triple bond is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Triple bond rather than just read about it. In short: A triple bond in chemistry is a chemical bond between two atoms involving six bonding electrons instead of the usual two in a covalent single bond. Triple bonds are stronger than the equivalent single bonds or double bonds, with a bond order of three.

Key takeaways

Triple bond belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Triple bond to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Triple bond from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A triple bond in chemistry is a chemical bond between two atoms involving six bonding electrons instead of the usual two in a covalent single bond. Triple bonds are stronger than the equivalent single bonds or double bonds, with a bond order of three. The most common triple bond is in a nitrogen N2 molecule; the second most common is that between two carbon atoms, which can be found in alkynes. Other functional groups containing a triple bond are cyanides and isocyanides. Some diatomic molecules, such as diphosphorus and carbon monoxide, are also triple bonded. In skeletal formulae the triple bond is drawn as three parallel lines (≡) between the two connected atoms.

Bonding Triple bonding can be explained in terms of orbital hybridization. In the case of acetylene, each carbon atom has two sp-orbitals and two p-orbitals. The two sp-orbitals are linear, with 180° bond angles, and occupy the x-axis in the cartesian coordinate system. The p-orbitals are perpendicular to the sp-orbitals on the y-axis and the z-axis. When the atoms approach each other, the sp orbitals overlap to form an sp-sp sigma bond. At the same time the pz-orbitals approach and together they form a pz-pz pi-bond. Likewise, the other pair of py-orbitals form a py-py pi-bond. The result is formation of one sigma bond and two pi bonds. However, with heavy enough atoms, relativistic effects comes into play and one ends up, not with pure sigma and pi bonds for the three bonds, but rather hybridizations of sigma and pi bonds. In the bent bond model, the triple bond can also formed by the overlapping of three sp3 lobes without the need to invoke a pi-bond.

Triple bonds between elements heavier than oxygen

Many elements beyond oxygen can form triple bonds. These bonds are common in some transition metals. Hexa(tert-butoxy)ditungsten(III) and Hexa(tert-butoxy)dimolybdenum(III) are well known examples, in which the metal-metal bond distance is about 233 pm. The former has attracted particular attention for its reactions with alkynes, leading to metal-carbon triple bonded compounds of the formula RC≡W(OBut)3 Additionally, phosphorus can exist as the highly reactive diatomic molecule diphosphorus, which has roughly half the bond-dissociation energy of dinitrogen.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Triple bond

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Triple bond claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Triple bond before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Triple bond ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Triple bond

In research: Triple bond appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Triple bond in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Triple bond is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chemical bonding, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Triple bond outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Triple bond in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Triple bond means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Triple bond out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Triple bond in simple terms?

Why does Triple bond matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Triple bond?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Triple bond.