Video narration
Why do atoms stay together instead of drifting apart? Imagine sharing a pair of headphones: you share something without being hooked together. In a covalent bond, atoms share electrons-the tiny particles around atoms. But sharing isn't the only way. Sometimes one atom transfers an electron to another. The atom that loses it becomes positively charged; the one that gains it becomes negatively charged. Opposite charges attract, forming an ionic bond. Here's the important turn: atoms aren't grabbing each other, and the transferred electron isn't acting like glue. A bond is the attraction created by the way electrons and atoms are arranged. These are two basic patterns, not every kind of bond. In each, electrical attractions hold atoms or ions together in a substance. So why do atoms stay together? Their electrons and charges create attractions that settle them into a more stable arrangement.