What is the covalent bond in which two atoms share one pair of electrons called?

• A. Double Bond
• B. Single Bond
• C. Lattice Energy
• D. Ionic Compound

Answer: (B)

A single covalent bond occurs when two atoms share one pair of electrons. This means exactly one pair of electrons is counted as being between the two atoms, giving the bond an order of one. The other terms describe different ideas: a double bond involves two shared electron pairs (bond order two), lattice energy is the energy related to breaking apart an ionic crystal, and an ionic compound is held together by electrostatic attraction from transferred electrons rather than sharing. So, the bond described by sharing one pair is the single bond, which is typically the longest and weakest among covalent bonds and can be either nonpolar or polar depending on how the atoms’ electronegativities compare.