Chemical bonds

Chemical bonds

It is not necessary to show chemical bonds in formulas unless they are specifically required for discussion:

CH3COOH

If it is necessary to indicate bonds in running text, use unspaced en dashes:

the angle of the C–C–C bonds

How to insert an en dash:
In Windows (eg Microsoft Word), use Ctrl+- on the numerical keypad; use Alt+0150 on the numerical keypad; or insert from the symbol set (special characters). On a Mac, use Option+-. Word can also be set up to convert 2 hyphens (--) to an en dash (–) using the autocorrect options.

When necessary, show double and triple bonds as follows:

CH3C(=O)OH     CH3C≡CH

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