Okuzeka
Chemistry vocabulary · Chemical Bonding and Structure

Covalent bond

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

nounCore term

In chemistry, covalent bond means: A chemical bond in which two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons. It usually forms between nonmetal atoms, as in H₂, H₂O and CH₄.

In Turkish: kovalent bağ

How it is used

A key term in general and organic chemistry. Covalent bonds can be single, double or triple, and polar or nonpolar. You form, break or draw them; in a structural formula each line usually stands for one shared pair.

Example sentences

  1. Carbon forms four covalent bonds in most organic molecules.

  2. In a double covalent bond, the two atoms share two pairs of electrons.

Common collocations

  • single covalent bond
  • polar covalent bond
  • form a covalent bond
  • break a covalent bond
  • ionic bondThe strong attraction between positive and negative ions that forms when one atom, usually a metal, transfers electrons to another, usually a nonmetal. Sodium chloride is the classic case.
  • moleculeA group of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds. It is the smallest particle of a substance such as water or oxygen gas that still has that substance's chemical properties.
  • electronegativityA measure of how strongly an atom pulls shared electrons toward itself in a bond. Fluorine has the highest value, about 4.0 on the Pauling scale.
  • Lewis structureA drawing of a molecule or ion that shows its atoms, the bonds between them as lines, and the lone pairs of valence electrons as dots.
  • polarDescribes a bond or molecule in which electrons are shared unevenly, so that one end is slightly negative and the other slightly positive. Water is a typical example.

More terms: Chemical Bonding and Structure

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: