why is chemical bonding neither purely ionic nor purely covalent?

Question

a simple answer for this question that i just cant seem to word would be helpful :)

Answer 1

A purely covalent bond DOES exist, if it is between two atoms that have the exact same electronegativity. That only happens when both atoms are identical (H2, N2, or O2, e.g.).

Pure ionic bonds aren't thought to exist because there is always some attraction between the "transferred" electrons and the nucleus that "lost" them. In fact, in many cases the transferred electrons sit CLOSER to the nucleus of the cation than they do to the nucleus of the anion that now technically "owns" them. Some chemists prefer to think of an ionic bond as a strongly skewed molecular orbital that places a high percentage of the electron density around the anion's nucleus, rather than as an actual formation of two separate ions.

The ionic bond model is useful for describing many aspects of ionic compounds, but it's more appropriate to think of an ionic-covalent continuum, rather than ionic vs. covalent.

I hope that helps. It isn't really short and sweet, but perhaps you can adapt it to your needs. If not, here's a great website all about it:

http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtut/bonding/polcov.html#SEC2

Answer 2

Most Chemical Bonds Are

Answer 3

♪no♫body♪knows . . .