Describe the differences between the three types of bonding

The three different types of bonding are covalent, ionic and metallic bonding. Ionic bonding occurs between metal and non-metal atoms. It involves the transfer of electrons from the metal to the non-metal producing a positively charged metal ion and negatively charged non-metal ion. This is different to covalent which occurs between non-metal atoms only. Instead of the transfer of electrons like in ionic bonding, covalent bonding involves the sharing of electrons between the non-metal atoms. Finally, metallic bonding is different to both because it takes place between metal atoms only. The metal atoms are arranged into a regular pattern where the electrons in the outer shell are delocalised. This forms strong metallic bonds.