covalent bonding

Question 1

key points of covalent bonding

Answer 1

• covalent bonding are formed when atoms of non-metals share pairs of electrons with each other.
• each shared pair of electrons is a covalent bond
• many substances containing covalent bonds consist of simple molecules but some have giant covalent structures.

Question 2

simple molecules

Answer 2

• the atoms of non-metals generally tend to gain electrons to achieve stable electron structures.
• when they react together, neither atom can give away electrons.
• so they get the electronic structure of a noble gas by sharing electrons.
• the atoms in the molecules are then held together by the shared pairs of electrons.
• these are called covalent bonds.

Question 3

giant covalent structures

Answer 3

• many substances containing covalent bonds consist of small molecules e.g H2o.
• sometimes, covalent bonds can be very different.
• they have giant structures where huge numbers of atoms are held together by a network of covalent bonds.