The term "covalent" refers to a type of chemical bonding between elements. In covalent bonding, electrons are shared between atoms. Sharing electrons enables atoms to achieve complete valence shells. The valence shell of an atom is its outermost shell. Covalent bonding occurs between nonmetals. Nonmetals are located to right of the ziz-zag line on the periodic table. Hydrogen is also a nonmetal.
There are two types of covalent bonding:
- Polar Covalent Bonding: In polar covalent bonding, electrons are shared unequally between atoms. Example: HCl
- Nonpolar Covalent Bonding: In nonpolar covalent bonding, electrons are shared equally between atoms. Example `~CH_4`
Ionic bonding is another type of bonding. Ionic bonding occurs when metal atoms transfer electrons to nonmetal atoms forming positive and negative ions. Ionic bonds are held together by the strong attraction between the positive and negative ions. Examples: NaCl, `~MgSO_4`
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