the number of pairs of electrons that an atom can share with its neighboring atoms
2.
covalent bond
Derived forms
covalent (ˈcoˌvalent)
adjective
covalence in American English
(kouˈveiləns)
noun
Chemistry
the number of electron pairs that an atom can share with other atoms
Derived forms
covalent
adjective
covalently
adverb
Word origin
[1915–20; co- + valence]This word is first recorded in the period 1915–20. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: camouflage, collage, decoder, markup, sovietco- is a prefix meaning “with,” “together,” “in association,” sometimes with the derivedsense “auxiliary, subsidiary” (coenzyme; copilot), and, in mathematics and astronomy, with the sense “complement” (codeclination)
Examples of 'covalence' in a sentence
covalence
But the modification was often confined to organic molecules, either by covalence or non-covalence.
Yuanjian Zhang, Yi Wen, Yang Liu, Di Li, Jinghong Li 2004, 'Functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes with Prussian blue', Electrochemistry Communicationshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248104002498. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)