Elements (click canvas to place)
Placing: Hydrogen (valence 1)
Bond Type
Click atom → click another to bond
Legend
Hydrogen
Medium — forms fairly balanced covalent bonds.
Needs 1 more electron to fill its first shell (max 2). Only ever forms one bond.
Single bonds only
H₂ · H₂O · CH₄ · HCl
Formula
—
How Molecules Bond
Atoms share electrons to fill their outer shells. Teal = shared (bonding) electrons · Amber = lone pairs (not shared).
Single Bond —
1 shared pair · 2 electrons
One electron from each atom joins into a shared pair. The most common bond. H₂, HCl, and H₂O all use single bonds.
e.g. H₂ · HCl · CH₄ · NaCl
Double Bond =
2 shared pairs · 4 electrons
Two pairs of electrons are shared. Stronger and shorter than a single bond. Oxygen uses double bonds in O₂ and CO₂.
e.g. O₂ · CO₂ · SO₂
Triple Bond ≡
3 shared pairs · 6 electrons
Three shared pairs — the strongest and shortest covalent bond. N₂ is so stable it makes up 78% of the air we breathe.
e.g. N₂ · CO · C₂H₂
Element Valence Quick Reference