Covalent

Covalent is a term used in chemistry to describe a type of chemical bond where pairs of electrons are shared between atoms. This type of bond is characterized by the sharing of electron pairs between atoms and is one of the main types of bonding in organic molecules.

Overview

In a covalent bond, the atoms are bound by shared electrons. In a true covalent bond, the electronegativity values are the same. The term covalent is derived from the term valence, which refers to the combining power of an element.

Types of Covalent Bonds

There are two types of covalent bonds: polar and nonpolar.

Polar Covalent Bonds

Polar covalent bonds occur when there is a difference in electronegativity, or electron affinity, between the two atoms in the bond. This difference leads to a bond where the electron pair is displaced toward the more electronegative atom.

Nonpolar Covalent Bonds

Nonpolar covalent bonds are a type of bond that occurs when two atoms share a pair of electrons with each other. These bonds usually occur between two atoms of the same element, or between different elements that share similar electronegativities.

Properties of Covalent Bonds

Covalent bonds have certain properties that distinguish them from other types of chemical bonds. These include the bond length, bond angle, and bond energy.

Bond Length

The bond length is the average distance between the nuclei of two bonded atoms in a molecule. It is a measure of the size of the molecule.

Bond Angle

The bond angle is the angle formed between three atoms across at least two bonds. For molecules with three or more atoms, the bond angle helps define the shape of the molecule.

Bond Energy

The bond energy is the amount of energy required to break a covalent bond. This energy is usually expressed in units of kilojoules per mole (kJ/mol).

See Also

• Ionic bond
• Metallic bond
• Hydrogen bond

References

Covalent Resources
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