Chemical Bond

The bonds described thus far can all be classified as single bonds. That is, they all consist of a single pair of electrons. Not uncommonly, two atoms will combine with each other by sharing two pairs of electrons. For example, when lead and sulfur combine to form a compound, the molecules formed might consist of two pairs of electrons, one electron from lead and one electron from sulfur in each of the pairs. The standard shorthand for a double bond such as this one is a double dashed line (=). For example, the formula for a common double-bonded compound, ethylene, is: H₂C=CH₂.

Compounds can also be formed by the sharing of three pairs of electrons between two atoms. The formula for one such compound, acetylene, shows how a triple bond of this kind is represented: HC-CH.