Answer to Question #77998 in Organic Chemistry for Joy

Question

What are the factors that affect bond length of a compound ?

Answer 1

Bond length is the average distance between nuclei of two bonded atoms in a molecule. It is a transferable property of a bond between atoms of fixed types, relatively independent of the rest of the molecule.

The fundamental relationship to keep in mind is that bond strength is inversely related to bond length. A stronger bond is shorter. The problem arises in how bond strength is determined. When we say a bond is strong, we refer to the bond having a high bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE), that is, the energy input required to break it. A strong bond is harder to break, and requires more input energy, thus has a higher BDE.