Differentiating Between Ionic and Covalent

[Karina Rodriguez 2H]

What would I need to keep in mind to tell if certain elements would form ionic bonds versus covalent bonds?

[Jade_Tai_2L]

In general, nonmetals will form covalent bonds with nonmetals, and metals will form ionic bonds with nonmetals.

[Sonel Raj 3I]

You can look at the periodic table as well; two things on opposite sides of the periodic table will probably be ionic, and two atoms near each other (in the p-block) will most likely have a covalent bond. This has a lot to do with electronegativities, and those with a very high electronegativity difference are usually ionic, and low are usually covalent. Try and study the electronegativity trend as well! The atom with the highest electronegativity is F, and those around the top right are generally quite high.

[Kelly Tran 1J]

Ionic bonds are typically formed between a metal and a nonmetal while covalent bonds are typically formed between 2 nonmetals. An atom on the far left of the periodic table and an atom on the far right would form an ionic bond since the electronegativity difference is higher while 2 atoms close together in the periodic table would form a covalent bond since the electronegativity difference is lower.