What type of bond involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms?

The type of bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms is known as a covalent bond. In a covalent bond, two atoms come together and share one or more pairs of electrons, which allows each atom to attain a full valence shell, achieving greater stability. This sharing can occur between identical nonmetals or between different nonmetals, leading to the formation of molecules.

Covalent bonding is fundamental in the formation of many organic compounds and is essential in biological molecules such as proteins and DNA, where the precise sharing of electrons contributes to their structures and functions. The strength and characteristics of covalent bonds can vary depending on the number of shared electron pairs; for instance, single bonds share one pair, double bonds share two pairs, and triple bonds share three pairs.

In contrast, ionic bonds involve the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, creating charged ions that attract each other, while metallic bonds consist of a 'sea of electrons' shared among a lattice of metal atoms. Hydrogen bonds, on the other hand, are a type of weak attraction between polar molecules that involve a hydrogen atom bonded to electronegative atoms like oxygen or nitrogen, but do not involve sharing of electron pairs in the way covalent bonds do