covalent bond
1
3.8
- noun
- /koʊˈveɪlənt bɑnd/
- Specialized
:
enlace covalente
- A covalent bond is formed when two atoms share a pair of electrons to achieve stability.
- forming a covalent bond
And because there's only a certain kind of covalent bond that's purely covalent, right?
- And because there's only a certain kind of covalent bond that's purely covalent, right?
Examples
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Hydrogen gas forms a covalent bond in the diatomic hydrogen molecule by sharing its electrons.
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The situation becomes more complicated when a covalent bond exists between the layers.
Academic text (2001) -
Lines are shown for the covalent bonds between non-hydrogen atoms.
Academic text (1995) -
It is really a covalent bond between two orbitals.
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The reason it works in silicon is that silicon naturally forms four covalent bonds with surrounding silicon atoms.
Blog text (1) -
Stiffness commonly results when electrons are shared between atoms to form strong, inflexible covalent bonds.
Academic text (1999) -
Each atom is covalently bonded to each of its four nearest neighbors; that is, each silicon atom shares its four valence electrons with the four neighboring atoms, forming four covalent bonds.
Academic text (1993) -
Attachments between collagen molecules are achieved via crosslinks, covalent bonds between lysine residues of constituent collagen molecules.
Academic text (1995) -
In organic chemistry, compounds are held together by covalent bonds that result from electron sharing.
Synonyms
33
5.1
A strong attraction that holds atoms together in a molecule
How Covalent
- Specialized
1
3.8
- Specialized
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'covalent' specifies the type of bonding (sharing electron pairs) and 'bond' denotes the force holding atoms together, so the full meaning follows from combining the two constituent meanings. This technical compound is morphologically transparent and has direct equivalents in many languages, so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The term covalent bond comes from a simple image: atoms 'sharing' electrons like people holding hands. The part co- means 'together' and valent means 'able to join', so a covalent bond is atoms holding the same electrons to stay 'together'.