ABSTRACT
With this chapter, we present the remaining details of the topic of chemical combination, a topic that has been a point of mystery and intrigue since Chapter 1. In Chapter 1, chemical combination was given as the explanation of why compounds, while consisting of more than one element, possess only some, or in many cases, none of the properties of those elements. We’ve indicated that there are forces that bind the atoms of these elements together and that these special forces, known as chemical bonding, dictate a complete transformation of properties. The result is that the compound in question possesses properties that are unique and that this new substance bears no resemblance to the elements of which it is composed. Our example in Chapter 1 was water, a liquid substance that extinguishes flames, yet it is composed of hydrogen, a highly flammable gaseous element, and oxygen, a gaseous element that supports combustion.
