What are covalent and Ionic bonds and how do they differ?

Covalent bonds are formed as a result of the sharing of pairs of electrons between atoms in order to attain a full outer shell. This typically will happen between two non metals. An ionic bond has the same aim of getting a full outer shell of electrons, however, in an ionic bond an atom may give or loss an electron to the atom it is bonding with. The atom receiving the extra electron will become more negatively charged due to the extra electron/s and become a negative ion and the atom donating electrons will become a positive ion. The ionic bond occurs due to the electrostatic attraction between the positive and negative ions that are formed. As a result you can see that both ionic and covalent bonds happen with the same aim of attaining a full outer shell, however, the way they go about achieving this is different.

BS
Answered by Ben S. Chemistry tutor

1676 Views

See similar Chemistry GCSE tutors

Related Chemistry GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is a covalent bond?


Explain why Francium is the most reactive Group 1 element in terms of its electronic structure.


What happens when CaCO3?


Nitric acid reacts with magnesium and fizzing occurs. Write a word equation and a balanced chemical equation for this reaction.


We're here to help

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

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences