What type of bond is most commonly formed between metals and nonmetals?

The most commonly formed bond between metals and nonmetals is an ionic bond. This type of bond occurs when electrons are transferred from the metal to the nonmetal. Metals, which typically have few electrons in their outer shell, tend to lose electrons, becoming positively charged ions (cations). Nonmetals, on the other hand, have a tendency to gain electrons to fill their outer electron shell, becoming negatively charged ions (anions). The electrostatic attraction between the positively charged cations and negatively charged anions results in the formation of an ionic bond.

In contrast, metallic bonds occur between metal atoms themselves, involving a sea of delocalized electrons that shared among a lattice of cations. Covalent bonds involve the sharing of electrons between nonmetals and do not typically occur between metals and nonmetals. Lastly, hydrogen bonds are a specific type of weak attraction that occurs between molecules containing hydrogen and are not a primary bonding type between metals and nonmetals.