What makes the difference between ionic and covalent bonds?

There are two types of atomic bonds -ionic bondsandcovalent bonds. They differ in their structure and properties.Covalent bondsconsist of pairs of electrons shared by two atoms, and bind the atoms in a fixed orientation. Relatively high energies are required to break them (50 - 200 kcal/mol). Whether two atoms can form a covalent bond depends upon their electronegativityi.e. the power of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons to itself. If two atoms differ considerably in their electronegativity - as sodium and chloride do - then one of the atoms will lose its electron to the other atom. This results in a positively charged ion (cation) and negatively charged ion (anion). The bond between these two ions is called anionic bond.

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Apoorva Arora

IIT Roorkee

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