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Atomic Structure

Why does a Chlorine Molecule have a Covalent Bond?

Chlorine is a non-metal.
A chlorine atom has 7 electrons in its outer shell.
Chlorine is in group 7 of the periodic table.
Two chlorine atoms will each share one electron
to get a full outer shell and form a stable Cl₂ molecule.

This is a picture of the shared electrons making a covalent bond
in a chlorine molecule. Chlorine is a simple molecule.


By sharing the two electrons where the shells touch
each chlorine atom can count 8 electrons in its outer shell.
These full outer shells with their shared electrons
are now stable and the Cl₂ molecule will not react further
with other chlorine atoms.
One pair of shared electrons form a single covalent bond.

There are no ions present (no + or - charges) in chlorine gas
because the electrons are shared,
not transferred from one atom to another.
Chlorine does form hydrogen ions
when it is dissolved in water to become chloric acid.

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