Covalent bonds are one of the 3 main types of intramolecular forces, along with ionic bonds and metallic bonds. Covalent bonds are the result of atoms sharing their valence electrons. Covalent bonds can be polar or nonpolar, depending on the electronegativies of the atoms involved in the bond.
A covalent bond is formed when atoms share their valence electrons. As a result of this sharing, each of the bonding atoms achieves noble gas electron configuration. Not all covalent bonds involve an equal sharing of the electrons between bonding partners. If one atom is considerably more electronegative than the other, a polar covalent bond will result. But if the electrons are more or less equally shared, a non-polar covalent bond will form.
This video includes the following details about covalent bonding:
Covalent bonds are considered strong intramolecular forces. In a separate video, we compare the relative strengths of Ionic Bonds vs Covalent Bonds.
Video: Covalent Bonds
Handout: Video Notes Worksheet
Join Socratica’s Chemistry Club for free updates to this course.
Full-length Practice Tests with Answer Keys