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The type of chemical bond formed when two atoms share electrons is known as a covalent bond. This bond occurs because atoms often require a stable electron configuration, typically resembling that of noble gases, to achieve stability. When two nonmetals come together, they can share pairs of electrons in their outer shells, leading to the formation of a covalent bond.

Covalent bonds can vary in strength and polarity depending on the electronegativity difference between the two atoms involved. For example, if the sharing is equal, the bond is considered nonpolar, while unequal sharing creates a polar covalent bond. The importance of covalent bonds lies in their key role in forming molecules that constitute much of biological matter, such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids.

Other types of bonds, such as ionic bonds, occur when one atom transfers electrons to another rather than sharing them, leading to the formation of charged ions. Hydrogen bonds are a type of weak interaction that occurs between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a more electronegative atom and another electronegative atom. Metallic bonds involve the pooling of electrons among a lattice of metal atoms, which differs fundamentally from electron sharing as seen in covalent bonds.