When electrons from two atoms are each attracted to the nucleus of the other atom, what type of bond is formed?
electrochemical bond
hydrogen bond
ionic bond
covalent bond
Covalent bonds form when the electron clouds of two atoms overlap with each other. In a simple H 2 molecule, the single electron in each atom becomes attracted to the nucleus of the other atom in the molecule as the atoms come closer together. Other covalent bonds form in the same way as unpaired electrons from two atoms “match up” to form the bond. In a fluorine atom, there is an unpaired electron in one of the 2p orbitals. When a F 2 molecule forms, the 2p orbitals from each of the two atoms overlap to produce the F−F covalent bond. The overlapping orbitals do not have to be of the same type to form a covalent bond. For example, in a molecule of HF, the 1s orbital of the hydrogen atom overlaps with the 2p orbital of the fluorine atom ( Figure below ):.