Points You Should Remember About Covalent Bonds

What is covalent bond?

A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves sharing of pairs of electronsbetween atoms. These pairs of electrons are known as bonding pairs or shared pair.

Covalent bond is also known as molecular bond. Covalent bonding arises between two atoms of the same element, or of elements which are close to each other in the periodic table. Covalent bonding occurs primarily between non-metals; but, it can also be witnessed between metals and non-metals. Covalent bonds are most likely to occur, when atoms have similar electro negativities.

History of covalence

The term covalence was first used in 1919 in regards to bonding, by Irving Langmuir in article of “Journal of the American Chemical Society”, titled "The Arrangement of Electrons in Atoms and Molecules". 

However, the idea of covalent bonding could be traced to Gilbert N. Lewis, numeral years before 1919, who in 1916 explained the sharing of electron pairs between atoms.

Learn more: Points You Should Remember About Covalent Bond