The Three Bonds-Blake Castilleja

There are three different kinds of bonds.

• A covalent bond is the sharing of two valence electrons. An exampe of covalent bond is when two nonmetals bond together. Because both of the nonmetals will want to gain electrons, the elements will share electrons to fill their valence shells. An example of a covalent bond is the chemical bond between two hydrogen atoms to for the compound H2. Because the hydrogen compound is a combination atoms, the atoms will share each other's single electron, forming one covalent bond. In this way, both atoms have a full valence shell.

• An ionic bond happens when one atom gains a valence electron from a different atom, forming a negative ion and a positive ion. These ions are attracted to each other, forming an ionic bond. The common example of ionic bond is the common salt. Ionic bonding occurs between a metal and a nonmetal with a transfer of electrons.

• The third type of bonding is called metallic bonding. Metallic bonding usually occurs in metals. A piece of copper metal happens to have a certain arrangement of copper atoms. The valence electrons of these atoms are free to wonder where they might go and are attracted to the positive ions of copper, meaning they hold the atoms together as one.