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Concept

covalent bond

Two spheres, one orange and one gray, are connected by a cross, symbolizing the sharing of electrons in a covalent bond.

A bond in which two atoms share a pair of electrons, each contributing one. The shared pair belongs to both outer shells at once, satisfying both atoms. Covalent bonds make discrete molecules — water, methane, oxygen, glucose — rather than lattices, and dominate the chemistry of life. Their strength depends on how many pairs are shared: single, double, or, in nitrogen gas, triple.

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