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CHEM 121 Studioby Learn4Less · UBC CHEM 121

CHEM 121 glossary

Covalent bond

A bond in which two atoms share a pair of electrons, each nucleus attracting the shared pair. One shared pair is a single bond; two or three pairs make a double or triple bond.

FF
FX2\ce{F2}: one shared pair joins the atoms; each F also keeps 3 lone pairs.

Example

In HX2\ce{H2} the two H atoms share 2 electrons, so each has a duet; the H–H bond is 74 pm long and takes 436 kJ/mol to break.

See alsoBonding pairNonpolar covalent bondPolar covalent bondIonic bond