What elements form covalent bonds?

Covalent bonds are a sharing of electrons; an even sharing of electrons results in a nonpolar covalent bond. Nonpolar bonds mostly exist between atoms of the same element. For example, oxygen contains six electrons in its outer shell. To gain a full outer shell of eight electrons, oxygen atoms form double bonds with other oxygen atoms. read more

Because covalent bonds are commonly formed between two nonmetals, these compounds exhibit many of the same characteristics of nonmetal elements. Covalent Elements The nonmetal covalent elements found in the periodic table include hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, sulfur and selenium. read more

As a result of polar covalent bonds, the covalent compound that forms will have an electrostatic potential. This potential will make the resulting molecule slightly polar, allowing it to form weak bonds with other polar molecules. read more