why does covalent bonding involve metalloids and non metals but not metals?

Question

I know it’s pretty basic but I just can’t wrap my hear around any of the explanations in my textbook/google

In: 20

Answer 1

I took physics, chemistry, and biology at the same time, so I tended to observe things that nobody ever pointed out.

It seemed to me that the real difference between ionic bonds and covalent bonds was how tightly the nucleus tries to hang on to the electrons. Specifically, is it bound so tightly that the partial charge of a water molecule cannot break it off? Covalent. Can a random collision with the partial-positive end of a water molecule break it off? Ionic.

Metals are metals because they suck at holding onto electrons. But that gives them special properties that are quite useful. So it’s all good.