Valance electrons can come together to form how many covalent bonds between atoms

It depends on the atoms you're dealing with. But the highest number of covalent bonds I've seen between two atoms is 3 covalent bonds, in nitrogen gas (N2), in alyphatic alkynes (eg C2H2).

Unknown... I have been absent from chemistry for almost 5 years... I need a bit of a reminder.

I know that in an ionic bond one Ion loses an electron to form a positive charged particle. While the other picks up that extra electron to form a negatively charged particle. Thus they are attracted to each other electromagnetically.

In a covalent bond, are the electrons shared? I think I recall the electrons orbiting between the two atoms almost like a single atom with two nuclei.

Am I right here, or am I missing something?

I also thought that in ionic bonds electrons were shared somehow, and my boundaries between the two matters are blurred.

Thanks... by the way... sorry for hijacking this thread, if you would like I will start a new one.

The maximum number that I've seen is 4 between the same pair of atoms. Stable quadruple bonds happens in certain transition elements. From a quantum mechanical standpoint, it seems like that's the limit. (although I'm not too sure if more can happen in newly discovered elements with more and more electrons)

In case you're having trouble picturing all of these electrons orbiting two atoms in such a way, I'll give the real explanation. Electrons don't orbit the nucleus as taught at the basic high school level. Electrons are waves (by de Broglie's hypothesis) and covalent bonding is purely the result of constructive interference between "waves". Chemical stability really has nothing to do with getting a full shell of electrons. It's about getting the right amount of electrons such that only destructive interference happens upon contact with electrons from other chemicals. Even the noble gases can react when bombarded with lasers since the radiation can alter the wavefunction of the atomic system. Therefore, to answer your original question, the maximum number of bonds that a system can is completely determined by the wave nature of electrons (because of interference) and the solution to the Schrodinger equation of the system.

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Originally Posted by InfoJunkie4Life

Unknown... I have been absent from chemistry for almost 5 years... I need a bit of a reminder.

I know that in an ionic bond one Ion loses an electron to form a positive charged particle. While the other picks up that extra electron to form a negatively charged particle. Thus they are attracted to each other electromagnetically.

In a covalent bond, are the electrons shared? I think I recall the electrons orbiting between the two atoms almost like a single atom with two nuclei.

Am I right here, or am I missing something?

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You're right

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I also thought that in ionic bonds electrons were shared somehow, and my boundaries between the two matters are blurred.

Thanks... by the way... sorry for hijacking this thread, if you would like I will start a new one.

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Ionic bonding, from what I learned is only electron donation and electron gain. However, there are some elements which form ionic bonds with other elements, then the resulting 'compound' has a charge. This big 'ion' can form ionic bonds. Within that big 'ion' though, you have covalent bonding.

For example the maganate ion, is MnO4^-. The Mn is covalently bonded to the oxygen atoms, and the MnO4^- ion can form ionic bonds.

Thank you much... I get it now.