What are covelant and Ionic Bonds

Are you looking for a gcse style answer or a more complex a level answer?

In an ionic bond, the atoms are bound together by the attraction between oppositely-charged ions. For example, sodium and chloride form an ionic bond, to make NaCl, or table salt. A sodium atom (Na) wants to Lose an electron since it has 1 in its outer shell and 8 electrons in its lower level and a chlorine atom (Cl) has 7 electrons in its outer shell but wants to gain 1 more electron to complete it. When to two atoms collide, sodium and chloride, sodium looses its one valent electron and becomes a positively charged sodium ion. In covalent bonds atoms like to share electrons. for example Hydrogen (H) has one electron but needs two to complete its first energy level, whilst oxyqen (O) has 6 but wants 2 more to complete it. If Oxygen shares its electrons with TWO hydrogen atoms, oxygen acheives a 8 electrons and hydrogen acheives 2. Both atoms have shared each others electrons to complete their shell

*when the two atoms collid, sodium and CHLORINE

CHLORIDE is a chlorine atom that has acquired an electron to become stable.

all to do with electronegativity baby!! If your GCSE ish the ionic means one atom steals both electrons and the other atom is left with none so they are charged. Covalent is where they are shared because they are both nice to each other!. If you are an A level student. The slight variaition in electron negativity will create a covalent bond with a perm dipole, the greater the greater the electroegativity then you get to the point where one will take both bonding pairs.