: What is the difference between ionic and covalent bonds? T-T
In: Chemistry
Ionic bonds are between ions–the atoms retain their own electrons but stick together due to the fact that they are oppositely charged.
Covalent bonds actually share electrons between the two atoms.
It has to do with how much the different atoms cling to their own electrons — whether they *share* them with other atoms or whether it’s more of an actual *transfer* of electrons. In a co-valent bond, electrons are shared between atoms. The oxygen atom shares an electron with a hydrogen atom, and shares another electron with another hydrogen atom, and there are two co-valent bonds. H-O-H or H2O
Whereas a sodium atom prefers to ditch one electron entirely (becoming a sodium ion, Na+), and a chlorine atom would like to steal an electron from somebody (becoming a chlorine ion, Cl-), so they hook up and hang out with each other, Na+ plus Cl- = NaCl, ionic bond.
For the record, covalent and ionic bonds are not black and white. All covalent bonds do exhibit some sort of ionic-ness and vice versa. You could say one type of bond is more ionic than covalent and some other types of bonds would be the other way around.
A very ionic bond would be two atoms with very high difference in electronegativity, i.e. one atom can lose electron(s) easily, while the other really wants to gain electron(s). Then as a result of losing/gaining electrons to achieve a filled state, the result is a distinct net charge on the atoms which binds the structure. NaCl, MgO are classsical examples of this.
Covalent bonds are atoms that bond together for the sake of filling their orbitals. CO2 would be an example. Each oxygen gives 2 electrons so that the middle Carbon has 8, filling its sp orbitals.
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