Question

Do highly electronegative atoms form covalent bonds?

Answer 1

Many elements of high electronegativity will form covalent bonds.....

Explanation:

And I can name three without thinking:

`"fluorine; oxygen; and nitrogen"`, which are of course the binuclear molecules `X_2`, `O=O`, and `N-=N`.

Electronegativity is conceived to be ability of an atom involved in a chemical bond to polarize electron density towards itself, resulting in a polar bond, where electron density is UNEQUALLY shared. For homonuclear diatomic molecules, given that the elements have EQUAL electronegativity, there should be no charge separation, no polarity in the `"element"-"element"` bond.

On the other hand for `OF_2`, which is an isolable molecule, the dipole may be described as `""^(+delta)OF_2^(delta-)`. Why?