How do nonmetals tend to form bonds

Nonmetals primarily form bonds through two main mechanisms: covalent bonding and ionic bonding.

1. **Covalent Bonding**:
- In covalent bonding, nonmetals share electrons with other nonmetals to achieve a full valence shell and attain stability. Each atom contributes one or more of its valence electrons to form a shared pair of electrons.
- This type of bonding typically occurs between nonmetals with similar electronegativities. For example, molecules like \(H_2\), \(O_2\), and \(N_2\) are formed by covalent bonds where atoms share electrons.
- Nonmetals can form single, double, or triple bonds depending on how many pairs of electrons they share.

2. **Ionic Bonding**:
- Nonmetals can also form ionic bonds, especially when they react with metals. In ionic bonding, a nonmetal gains electrons from a metal, resulting in the formation of positively charged cations (typically the metal) and negatively charged anions (the nonmetal).
- For example, sodium (a metal) can donate an electron to chlorine (a nonmetal), forming sodium chloride (NaCl) through an ionic bond. The nonmetal's high electronegativity allows it to attract electrons strongly from the metal.

In summary, nonmetals primarily tend to form bonds through sharing electrons (covalent bonding) or by gaining electrons from metals (ionic bonding), depending on the elements involved and their relative electronegativities.