What type of bonding holds a hydrogen molecule together?

• A. Ionic bond
• B. Covalent bond
• C. Hydrogen bond
• D. Metallic bond

Answer: (B)

The bond in a hydrogen molecule is a covalent bond. Each hydrogen atom has one electron, and by sharing that pair of electrons, both nuclei effectively get access to two electrons, which satisfies the duet and creates a stable H–H bond. This shared-electron arrangement forms a strong, localized connection known as a covalent (sigma) bond between the two 1s orbitals.

This differs from an ionic bond, which would require transferring electrons to form oppositely charged ions; there are no charged species in H2. It also differs from a hydrogen bond, which is an intermolecular attraction involving hydrogen and a highly electronegative atom like oxygen or nitrogen in another molecule. Metallic bonds involve a lattice of atoms sharing a “sea” of electrons, characteristic of metals, not diatomic molecules like hydrogen.