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Covalent bonding

Dot and cross diagrams for covalent bonding

We can use dot and cross diagrams to show how a pair of electrons forms a covalent bond.

Here is the dot and cross diagram for oxygen (O2), a diatomic molecule. Notice the of electrons and the two shared pairs of electrons.

Dot and cross diagram for oxygen

Here are the dot and cross diagrams for some other common molecules.

The dot and cross diagrams for some common molecules

A single covalent bond is when two atoms share a single pair of electrons. Represented by a single line (鈥).