What you’ll learn to do: Classify different types of atomic bonds

When atoms bond together, they create molecules: a sodium atom bonds with a chlorine atom to create salt (sodium chloride), two hydrogen atoms bond with an oxygen atom to create water (dihydrogen monoxide). However, not all atomic bonds are the same; in fact salt and water are created with two very different types of bonds (ionic and polar covalent bonds respectively).

The different types of bonds (ionic, polar covalent, and non-polar covalent bonds) behave differently, and these differences have an impact on the molecules they create. Understanding the types of bonds that create living things can help us understand those living things themselves.