Classification of Chemical Bond Types A chemical bond represents the net attraction that keeps atoms near each other in most material samples. It is a consequence of the electrical attraction between oppositely charged particles in atoms--namely electrons and protons.
Because there exists a large number and a diverse arrangement of electrons and protons in the various atoms of most substances, a precise understanding of all the complex electrical interactions can be challenging. However, some simplified models of these interactions allow us to predict many important properties.
First, we divide bonds up into two major categories: primary bonds and secondary bonds. Primary bonds are the strong bonds between the tightly clusteredatoms that give any pure substance its characteristic properties. Secondary bonds (also known as interparticle, intermolecular, or Van der Waals attractions) are the relatively weaker attractions between nearby atoms or molecules that are important in most liquids (especially liquid mixtures) and some solids.
