What kind of covalent bond involves unequal sharing of electrons?

Prepare for the Chemistry 30 Diploma Exam with our interactive quiz! Explore multiple-choice questions with detailed explanations and hints, boosting your mastery of key concepts. Ace your exam!

Multiple Choice

What kind of covalent bond involves unequal sharing of electrons?

Unequal sharing of electrons happens when two atoms in a covalent bond have different electronegativities; the more electronegative atom pulls the shared electrons toward itself, creating a dipole with a partial negative charge on that atom and a partial positive charge on the other. That setup is a polar covalent bond. It sits between nonpolar covalent bonds (where electrons are shared equally because electronegativities are similar) and ionic bonds (where electrons are transferred, not shared). A classic example is the H–Cl bond, where chlorine’s greater electronegativity draws electron density toward itself, giving chlorine a partial negative charge and hydrogen a partial positive charge.

Unequal sharing of electrons happens when two atoms in a covalent bond have different electronegativities; the more electronegative atom pulls the shared electrons toward itself, creating a dipole with a partial negative charge on that atom and a partial positive charge on the other. That setup is a polar covalent bond. It sits between nonpolar covalent bonds (where electrons are shared equally because electronegativities are similar) and ionic bonds (where electrons are transferred, not shared). A classic example is the H–Cl bond, where chlorine’s greater electronegativity draws electron density toward itself, giving chlorine a partial negative charge and hydrogen a partial positive charge.

More practice questions