Difference between Ionic Bond and Covalent Bond
Ionic Bonds and Covalent Bonds are two types of bonds that form various chemical compounds that we use or see in our daily life. Some of the differences between the ionic bond and the covalent bond are discussed in the table below,
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Ionic Bond |
Covalent Bond |
|---|---|
| Ionic bonds are formed by the attraction of positive and negative ions in a crystal, and compounds held together by ionic bonds are known as ionic compounds. | When two atoms share one or more electron pairs, they form a covalent bond. Each atom contributes an equal number of electrons to the formation of the bond. |
| In the formation of ionic bonds cations and anions are formed as intermediates ions. | No such intermediates are formed in the formation of covalent bonds. |
| Ionic bonds are formed between two atoms in which one atom is electronegative and the other is electropositive. | As atoms with higher ionization potential do not lose their valence electrons easily, they prefer to form covalent bonds by sharing electrons. |
| If the electronegativity difference between the atom is very high they form ionic bonds. For instance, bonds formed in the KCl compound. | If the electronegativities of the combining atoms are not significantly different, the bond formed between them is most likely covalent. For instance, bonds formed in the HCl compound |
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Examples of the compound with ionic bonds are,
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Examples of the compound with covalent bonds are,
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Ionic Bond
Ionic Bond is a bond that is formed by the electrostatic force of attraction between atoms. In an ionic bond, a complete transfer of electrons takes place in the process of bond formation. This bond is formed by the attracting force between the cations and the anions that are formed by the donating and acceptance of the electrons.
Ionic Bond is also called the Electrovalent bond and is formed to complete the octet of the participating atoms. If an atom combines after forming a bond it releases some energy called the bond formation energy. The higher the energy released the higher the stability of the compound.
In this article, we will learn about bonds, the nature of the bond, Ionic bonds, examples of ionic bonds, and others in detail.