Final answer:
Atoms form covalent bonds to achieve a more stable electron configuration by sharing valence electrons, resulting in the formation of molecules or covalent compounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
What Causes Atoms to Form Covalent Bonds?
Atoms form covalent bonds due to their tendency to reach a more stable arrangement of electrons. In a covalent bond, two atoms, typically nonmetals, are held together by the force of attraction between the shared pair of valence electrons and the positive nuclei of both atoms. The number of covalent bonds an atom can form depends on the number of unpaired valence electrons available for bonding in the atom.
For example, oxygen atoms each have six valence electrons, but by sharing two pairs, each oxygen atom achieves a full octet, representing the most stable electron configuration. Lewis electron dot diagrams are often used to illustrate such covalent bond formations. When atoms of different elements form covalent bonds, they create covalent compounds.
Double bonds or triple bonds are formed when atoms share two or three pairs of electrons, respectively, which are sometimes required to represent the bonding properly in some molecules, such as carbon dioxide.