What bond forms by sharing of electrons?

• A. Ionic Bond
• B. Hydrogen Bond
• C. Covalent Bond
• D. Metallic Bond

Answer: (C)

Sharing of electrons creates covalent bonds. When two atoms approach each other and neither fully transfers an electron to the other, they can share one or more pairs of electrons so that each atom effectively completes its outer shell. This sharing holds the atoms together in a molecule. The number of shared electron pairs determines the bond order: one pair gives a single covalent bond, two pairs a double bond, and three pairs a triple bond. Covalent bonds can be nonpolar when the atoms have similar electronegativities, or polar if there is a difference in electronegativity, giving partial charges but still staying as covalent connections. This contrasts with ionic bonds, which form by complete transfer of electrons and subsequent electrostatic attraction between ions; and with metallic bonds, which involve a lattice of positively charged ions in a pooled sea of delocalized electrons. Hydrogen bonds are weaker attractions arising from interactions between a hydrogen on one molecule and a highly electronegative atom on another, not true covalent bonds.