 Two atoms become stable by sharing electrons  Form between nonmetals

 Nonmetals bond to other nonmetals by sharing electrons  Hydrogen can bond by sharing electrons too  Most nonmetals can bond with another atom of the same element  The force that holds atoms together in a covalent bond is the attraction of each atoms’ nucleus for the shared pair of electrons  A molecule is a neutral group of atoms joined by covalent bonds

 The number of covalent bonds that a non-metal can form equals the number of electrons needed to make a total of eight  EXAMPLE—Oxygen has 6 valence electrons. How many bonds can it form?

 Two atoms share two pairs of electrons=double bond  Two atoms share three pairs of electrons=triple bond

 lsps07_int_covalentbond/