What are the Different Types of Chemical Bonds?

Molecules are formed when two or more atoms participate in chemical bonding. The stability of a molecule is dependent on the strength of the chemical bonds holding the atoms together – the stronger the chemical bond, the greater the stability of the resulting molecule. There exist four primary types of chemical bonds, as listed below:

• Ionic bonds, also known as electrovalent bonds.
• Covalent bonds, also known as molecular bonds.
• Polar covalent bonds, also known as polar bonds.
• Hydrogen bonds, often abbreviated to H-bonds.

A brief description of the different types of chemical bonds can be found below.

Ionic Bonding

Ionic bonds are formed when one atom (or molecule) transfers at least one electron to another atom/molecule. When this electron transfer occurs, the electron donating species develops a positive charge, and the electron accepting species develops a negative charge. The electrostatic force of attraction that arises between the differently charged ions holds them together. It is important to note that the magnitude of the charge held by the individual ions is directly proportional to the strength of the ionic bond between them, i.e. the greater the charge of the ions, the stronger the ionic bond between them. 

Covalent Bonding

When two atoms share electrons with each other in order to obtain stable electron configurations, the resulting chemical bond is known as a covalent bond. This type of chemical bonding is often found in organic compounds (compounds containing carbon). 

Polar Covalent Bonding 

In these chemical bonds, the electrons are unequally shared between two atoms. The atom with greater electronegativity pulls the shared pair of electrons closer to itself, gaining a partially negative charge. On the other hand, the atom with lower electronegativity gains a partially positive charge. 

Hydrogen Bonding

This is a particularly weak type of chemical bonding that arises in molecules containing hydrogen and a fairly electronegative atom. Here, the hydrogen atom develops a partially positive charge and is attracted to the neighboring atoms holding a partially negative charge.

Another important type of chemical bonding is the coordinate covalent bond (also known as the dative bond), which can be observed in many coordination compounds. These bonds involve the donation and acceptance of electron pairs.