Definition: What is a Chemical Bond?
Chemical bonds are forces that hold the atoms together in a molecule. They are a result
of strong intramolecular interactions among the atoms of a molecule. The valence (outermost)
electrons of the atoms participate in chemical bonds. When two atoms approach each other,
these outer electrons start to interact. Although electrons repel each other, they are attracted
to the protons within atoms. The interplay of forces results in the formation of bonds between
the atoms.
The main types of chemical bonds are ionic bond, covalent bond, hydrogen bond, and
metallic bond .
[1,2]
A bond between two atoms depends upon the electronegativity difference between the atoms.
If the electronegativity difference is significantly high, the atoms transfer electrons to form ions
and thereby form an ionic bond. If the electronegativity difference is zero or small, then the
atoms combine to form covalent bonds.
1. Ionic Bond
As the name suggests, ionic bonds are a result of the attraction between ions. Ions are formed
when an atom loses or gains an electron. These types of bonds are commonly formed between
a metal and a nonmetal .
[1-5]
Examples
Sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) combine to form stable crystals of sodium chloride (NaCl), also
known as common salt.
Magnesium (Mg) and oxygen (O) combine to form magnesium oxide (MgO).
Potassium (K) and chlorine (Cl) combine to form potassium chloride (KCl)
Calcium (Ca) and fluorine (F) combine to form calcium fluoride (CaF 2)
Examples of Ionic Bonds
The classic example of an ionic bond is the chemical bond that forms between sodium and
chlorine atoms, forming sodium chloride (NaCl). Sodium has one valence electron, while
chlorine has seven valence electrons. When a sodium atom donates its lone electron to
chlorine, the sodium gains a +1 charge, but becomes more stable because its electron shells
are complete. Similarly, when chlorine accepts an electron from sodium, it gets a -1 charge and
completes the octet of its valence electron shell. The resulting ionic bond is very strong because
there is no repulsion between neighboring electrons, like you see when atoms share electrons in
a covalent bond. That being said, covalent bonds can also be strong, as when carbon atoms
share four electrons and form diamond.
What will happen to the cation (positive
charge) and anion (negative charge) formed by the two
atoms meeting?
Well, they attract each other and form an ionic bond. Once the bond is
made, it does not form true molecules. The atoms are only held together by
electrical forces. The result is positive and negative ions that attract each
other, called ionic bonds, but not true molecules.
Ionic vs Covalent Bonds
A chemical link between two atoms caused by
A chemical link between two atoms or ions where
the electrostatic force between oppositely-
the electron pairs are shared between them.
charged ions in an ionic compound.
Number of Atoms
Occur between metals and nonmetals. Most commonly occurs between two nonmetals.
Number of Electrons
Occurs when two (or more) elements share
A complete transfer of electrons occurs.
electrons.
Compounds
The atoms bonded by covalent bonds exist as
Usually seen as crystals, in which few positively
molecules, which at room temperature, mainly exist
charged ions surround a negatively charged ion.
as gases or liquids.
Polarity
Ionic bonds have a high polarity. Covalent bonds have a low polarity.
Physical Properties
Ionic compounds have very high melting points
Covalent molecules have low melting points and
and boiling points, compared to covalent
boiling points compared to ionic compounds.
molecules.
Water Solubility
In polar solvents (such as water), ionic In polar solvents, covalent molecules do not
compounds dissolve releasing ions; such dissolve considerably; hence these solutions are
solutions are capable of conducting electricity. incapable of conducting electricity.
What is the Difference Between Ionic and Covalent Bonds?
2. Covalent Bond
In the case of a covalent bond, an atom shares one or more pairs of electrons with
another atom and forms a bond. This sharing of electrons happens because the atoms must
satisfy the octet (noble gas configuration) rule while bonding. Such a type of bonding is
common between two nonmetals. The covalent bond is the strongest and most common form of
chemical bond in living organisms. Together with the ionic bond, they form the two most
important chemical bonds .
[1-7]
A covalent bond can be divided into a nonpolar covalent bond and a polar covalent bond.
In the case of a nonpolar covalent bond, the electrons are equally shared between the two
atoms. On the contrary, in polar covalent bonds, the electrons are unequally distributed
between the atoms.
What is a Covalent Bond?
Non-Metal atoms form covalent bonds. Remembering the bond
concept (atoms that share electrons and therefore are bonded) The elements
on the far right of the periodic table are the non-metallic elements (yellow color).
Only these can form covalent bonds.
Non-metallic atoms usually have many electrons spinning in their last orbit
(called valence electrons). They tend to gain (take) electrons from another atom
instead of giving them up. The problem is that since the two atoms are non-metals,
neither will want to give up their electrons to the other.
Covalent Bond Definition
Covalent bonding, in simple words, is the sharing of electrons between
atoms to attain the noble gas configuration of the participating individual atoms.
The atoms in a covalent bond are held together by the electrostatic force of
attraction. This force is in between the positively charged nuclei of the bonded
atoms and the negatively charged electrons they share.
The electrons that join atoms in a covalent bond are called the bonding
pair of electrons. These bonding pair of electrons results in the formation of a
discrete group of atoms called a molecule—the smallest part of a compound that
retains the chemical identity of that compound. This type of bonding occurs
between two atoms of the same element or of elements close to each other in
the periodic table. This bonding occurs primarily between non-metals; however,
it can also be observed between non-metals and metals.
Implications of a Covalent Bond
As non-metal atoms do not want to get rid of electrons, when they meet or join,
they share electrons from their last layer instead of giving up or gaining
electrons (which would be the case of ionic bonds).
Conclusion: non-metallic atoms cannot give or gain electrons from each
other but can share them. Covalent bonds are formed between two Non-Metals,
sharing valence electrons.
When non-metal atoms come together, shared electrons will join together,
becoming part of the two atoms, thus forming a molecule (several atoms
together). Once joined, the two atoms acquire the noble gas structure with eight
atoms.
They can be linked by single, double, or triple bonds, depending on the number
of electrons they share in the bond.
Examples
Two atoms of iodine (I) combine to form iodine (I 2) gas.
One atom of carbon (C) combines with two atoms of oxygen (O) to form a double covalent
bond in carbon dioxide (CO2).
Two atoms of hydrogen (H) combine with one atom of oxygen (O) to form a polar molecule of
water (H2O).
Boron (B) and three hydrogens (H) combine to form the polar borane (BH 3).
3. Hydrogen Bond
A hydrogen bond is a chemical bond between a hydrogen atom and an electronegative atom.
However, it is not an ionic or covalent bond but is a particular type of dipole-dipole attraction
between molecules. First, the hydrogen atom is covalently bonded to a very electronegative
atom resulting in a positive charge, which is then attracted towards an electronegative atom
resulting in a hydrogen bond [1,4-6]
.
Examples
Hydrogen atom from one molecule of water bonds with the oxygen atom from another
molecule. This bonding is quite significant in ice.
In chloroform (CH3Cl) and ammonia (NH3), hydrogen bonding occurs between the hydrogen of
one molecule and carbon/nitrogen of another.
Nitrogen bases present in DNA are held together by a hydrogen bond.
4. Metallic Bonds
A metallic bond is a force that holds atoms together in a metallic substance. Such solid consists
of tightly packed atoms, where the outermost electron shell of each metal atom overlaps with a
large number of neighboring atoms. As a consequence, the valence electrons move freely from
one atom to another. They are not associated with any specific pair of atoms. This behavior is
called non-localization .
[1,2,4]
Examples
Sodium metal
Aluminum foil
Copper wire
Other Types of Chemical Bonds
Van der Waals Bond
Neutral molecules are held together by weak electric forces known as Van der Waals forces.
Van der Waals force is a general term used to define the attraction of intermolecular forces
between molecules. This type of chemical bond is the weakest of all bonds .
[4,5]
Examples include hydrogen bond, London dispersion forces, and dipole-dipole forces.
Peptide Bond
Within a protein, multiple amino acids are linked together by peptide bonds, thereby forming a
long chain. Peptide bonds are formed by a biochemical reaction that extracts a water molecule
as it joins the amino group of one amino acid to the carboxyl group of neighboring amino acids.
Aside from peptide bonds, hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, and disulfide bonds are also common
in proteins .
[8]
Examples include polypeptides like insulin and growth hormone.
FAQs
Q.1. What happens to chemical bonds during chemical reactions?
Ans. During chemical reactions, the bonds holding the molecules together break apart and
form new bonds, rearranging the atoms into different substances.
Q.2. Why do atoms form chemical bonds?
Ans. Atoms form chemical bonds to make their outer electron shells more stable.
Q.3. Why are noble gases not likely to form chemical bonds?
Ans. The electronic configurations of noble gases are such that their outermost shells are
complete. The full valence electron shells of these atoms make noble gases extraordinarily
stable and unlikely to form chemical bonds because they do not tend to gain or lose electrons.
