Question

What type of bond is formed in a diatomic element where the two atoms are identical?

Answer 1

It would be a non-polar covalent bond.

Explanation:

The difference in electronegativity determines the bond type between atoms. If the difference is 0 to 0.4, it is considered non-polar covalent. Electronegativity is the tendency of an atom to attract bonded electrons to itself. The stronger the tendency, the higher the electronegativity.

A diatomic element in which both atoms are the same, such as `"H"_2"` and `"O"_2"`, the bond will be non-polar covalent. This is because the electronegativities of the two atoms are identical, so subtracting one from the other gives an electronegativity difference of zero.

The following chart gives the electronegativities of the elements.