I’m not even that sure what they exactly are, to be honest.
In: Chemistry
The difference between an ionic and a covalent bond has to do with how the atoms in question share their electrons.
Let’s consider sodium chloride (table salt) and carbon dioxide.
Sodium and chlorine, in their compounded form, differ greatly in their respective *electronegativities*, the tendency of an atom to pull electrons to itself. Therefore, the sodium atom will lose its electron to the chlorine atom.
In carbon dioxide, carbon and oxygen do not differ so greatly in their electronegativities, so instead of one losing an electron to the other, they’ll share it.
Covalent bonds are normally found between two nonmetallic atoms, whereas ionic bonds are normally found between a metal and a nonmetal.
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