(Chemistry A-level) What is a dative covalent bond?

A dative covalent bond, or coordinate bond, is a bond where there is 1 pair of shared electrons between two atoms. The difference relative to a covalent bond is that in a dative covalent bond these electrons both come from one atom.An example of this is the ammonium ion, NH4+. One of the single bonds between the nitrogen and hydrogen will be a dative covalent bond.Dative covalent bonds have the exact same orbital shapes and repulsion as normal covalent bonds. Ammonium, like methane, would therefore have a tetrahedral shape with bond angles of ~109.5°.Dative covalent bonds are represented on drawings as an arrow, with it pointing towards the atom/ion that isn't donating any electrons to the dative covalent bond.

OB
Answered by Oliver B. Chemistry tutor

87150 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

What do the arrows in mechanisms represent?


What is meant by terms 'saturated' and 'unsaturated' when applied to alkanes and alkenes? Describe a chemical test to distinguish between the liquids hexane and hexene.


Methylpropene reacts with hydrogen bromide to form 2-bromo-2-methylpropane, draw the mechanism and state the major products.


What is the difference between a nucleophile and an electrophile?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning