Covalent bonds form primarily between nonmetal elements.

• Core idea: Atoms share one or more pairs of electrons to achieve a more stable electron configuration, resulting in a covalent bond.
• Common pairings: Nonmetals such as H, C, N, O, F, Cl, S, P, and others form covalent bonds with each other.
• Typical pattern: Elements with similar or relatively high electronegativity (and nonmetals) tend to form covalent bonds; metals often form metallic bonds or ionic bonds, not covalent bonds, with nonmetals.

Key points to remember:

• Single covalent bonds involve one shared pair of electrons.
• Double and triple covalent bonds involve two or three shared pairs, respectively.
• Covalent compounds can be polar or nonpolar depending on electronegativity differences and molecular geometry.

If you’d like, I can summarize how covalent bonding differs from ionic and metallic bonding, or provide examples of common covalent molecules and their bond types.