Which term means sharing of electrons?

• A. Covalent
• B. Polarity
• C. Metabolism
• D. Isotonic

Answer: (A)

Sharing electrons is covalent bonding. In covalent bonds, atoms share one or more pairs of electrons so each atom can fill its outer electron shell. This usually happens between nonmetals with similar electronegativity. For example, two hydrogen atoms share one pair of electrons to form H2, two oxygen atoms share two pairs to form O2, and carbon can share electrons with hydrogen to form methane, CH4. When sharing is unequal, the bond is polar covalent, which creates partial charges but still involves sharing electrons. Other terms like metabolism describe chemical processes in organisms, and isotonic refers to solutions with equal solute concentrations; neither describes the act of sharing electrons.