What is a Covalent Bond?

Covalent Bond

A covalent bond is a chemical bond where two atoms gain stability by sharing one or more pairs of electrons.

No ions form; shared electron pairs hold atoms together, setting covalent bonds apart from ionic or metallic bonding.

Why Does Carbon Form Covalent Bonds?

carbon atom electron shell diagram for education

Carbon atom showing 2,4 electron arrangement

Electronic Configuration and Valency

Electronic configuration of carbon is 2,4; it has four electrons in its outer (valence) shell.

Removing or adding four electrons needs too much energy, so carbon shares electrons to complete the octet and becomes stable.

Key Points:

  • Electronic configuration: 2,4
  • Valency = 4 (needs four more electrons)
  • Shares electrons → covalent bonds satisfy octet rule

Single, Double & Triple Bonds

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Carbon can share 1, 2 or 3 pairs of electrons.

Types of covalent bonds in carbon compounds

Carbon attains stability by sharing valence electrons with other atoms.

The number of shared pairs decides whether the bond is single, double, or triple.

Key Points:

  • Single bond – 1 shared pair; Methane \( \mathrm{CH_4} \).
  • Double bond – 2 shared pairs; Ethene \( \mathrm{C_2H_4} \).
  • Triple bond – 3 shared pairs; Ethyne \( \mathrm{C_2H_2} \).

Label the Bond Types

Drag the correct bond label—Single, Double or Triple—onto the Lewis structures of CH₄ (methane), C₂H₄ (ethene) and C₂H₂ (ethyne).

Draggable Items

Single
Double
Triple

Drop Zones

CH₄ – Lewis structure

C₂H₄ – Lewis structure

C₂H₂ – Lewis structure

Tip:

Count shared electron pairs: 1 pair = single, 2 pairs = double, 3 pairs = triple bond.

Covalent vs Ionic Compounds

Covalent Compounds

Low melting and boiling points.
Do not conduct electricity.
Soft, volatile solids or liquids.
Weak intermolecular forces between molecules.

Ionic Compounds

High melting and boiling points.
Conduct electricity when molten or in solution.
Hard and brittle solids.
Strong electrostatic forces between ions.

Why Covalent Bonding Makes Carbon Special

Catenation

Carbon bonds to itself, forming long chains, rings and networks that act as versatile frameworks.

Tetravalency

Four valence electrons let carbon form four strong covalent bonds with many elements, ensuring stability.

Diverse Compounds

Thanks to catenation and tetravalency, carbon creates millions of compounds, powering life and modern industry.

Key Takeaways

Covalent bond forms when atoms share electrons to attain a stable octet.

Carbon achieves this by making single (C–C), double (C=C) or triple (C≡C) bonds.

Resulting covalent compounds are low-melting, non-conductive and often gaseous, liquid or soft solid.

Carbon’s covalent versatility underpins organic chemistry, powering fuels, polymers and biomolecules.

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Thank You!

We hope you found this lesson informative and engaging.