Question

Atoms having equal or nearly equal electronegativities are expected to form what types of bonds?

Answer 1

These are expected to form covalent bonds.

Explanation:

By definition, electronegativity is conceived to be the ability of an atom in a chemical bond to polarize electron density towards itself. The elements on the RHS of the Periodic Table as we face it, i.e. `O` and `F` are the most electronegative.

Nevertheless, electronegative atoms that bind together tend to share electron density equally. This is the very definition of a covalent bond: `"sharing of electrons between atoms"`.

Consider the oxygen molecule `O=O`, and the fluorine molecule, `F-F`. Both of the elements are strongly electronegative, and yet both of the homonuclear molecules display covalent bonds, with equal electronic distribution.