Which type of bond involves a significant electronegativity difference but not complete transfer of electrons?

A polar covalent bond is characterized by a significant difference in electronegativity between the two atoms involved. In this type of bond, one atom attracts the shared electrons more strongly than the other, leading to an uneven distribution of electron density. This unequal sharing creates a dipole moment, where one end of the molecule has a slight positive charge and the other end has a slight negative charge.

While ionic bonds involve a complete transfer of electrons from one atom to another, polar covalent bonds fall short of this full transfer; the electrons are shared but not equally, maintaining some degree of attraction between the bonded atoms. Understanding this distinction is crucial for recognizing the properties of various molecules and their interactions. Non-polar covalent bonds, on the other hand, involve atoms with similar electronegativities sharing electrons equally, thus not exhibiting polarity. Elemental bonds are not a standard term and do not specifically describe a type of bond in the context of electronegativity.