Chemical bonds are when two or more atoms bond or stick together to form molecules that make up all the things around us! If there were no bonds, everything would just be atoms that float around! There would be no visible things. There are two types of bonds: covalent and ionic bonds. Both of these bonds require electrons, which are tiny particles that orbit around the nucleus or center of an atom. Electrons carry a negative (-) charge. Electrons orbit around the nucleus in shells. Shells are large circles of ovals in which electrons orbit in. The outer shell of the electrons is where all of the bonding happens. Covalent bonds happen when two or more atoms join together and share electrons. These atoms are trying to become inert, or having a balanced number of electrons in their outer shell. A great example is water or H₂O. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom bond together and share electrons. This creates water! The next type of bond is an ionic bond. This bond happens when one atom takes an electron from another atom. The atom that took the electron gets a negative (-) charge and the atom that lost an electron gets a positive (+) charge. Since opposite charges attract, the atoms bond together! This is what chemical bonds are!
