What type of elements typically participate in covalent bonding?

Covalent bonding primarily involves nonmetals, as these elements have similar electronegativities and can share electrons more effectively. When two nonmetals interact, they tend to form covalent bonds by sharing pairs of electrons to achieve a full outer shell, which leads to greater stability in their respective electronic configurations.

For example, in a molecule like water (H₂O), the oxygen atom and the hydrogen atoms share electrons to fill their outer shells, demonstrating the typical behavior of nonmetals during covalent bonding. This electron sharing is distinct from ionic bonding, which involves the transfer of electrons, often between metals and nonmetals.

While metals can bond covalently under certain circumstances, such as in some metal complexes or in coordination compounds, their primary type of bonding tends to be metallic or ionic, not covalent. Transition metals also have unique bonding characteristics due to their d orbitals and often form coordination complexes rather than simple covalent bonds. Therefore, nonmetals are the key players in covalent bonding, making the choice of nonmetals only the correct focus for this question.