Is a single covalent bond the strongest?

1 Answer
reudhreghs
Apr 24, 2016

No, but the type of bond that forms a single bond is the strongest.

Explanation:

Double bonds are stronger than single bonds, and triple bonds are stronger than double bonds - but the types of bonds in each one are stronger in the single bond.

Covalent bonds are formed by orbitals of electrons merging between two atoms. This can be a head-on overlap called a #sigma# (sigma) bond, or a side-on connection called a #pi# bond.

Obviously the #sigma#-bond is stronger because it is two orbitals directly merging into each other, while the #pi#-bond is the weaker.

A single bond consists of only one bond, a #sigma#, while double bond include #1sigma+1pi# and triple bond have #1sigma+2pi#. You can only have a single #sigma# between two atoms for geometric reasons.

https://socratic.org/questions/why-are-pi-bonds-weaker-than-sigma-bonds

But even though some of the bonds making up, for example, a triple bond, are weaker than the bonds making up a single bond, there are still more of them, so a triple bond is still stronger than a single bond.

You could also say that the net strength of three single bonds is stronger than the strength of one triple bond.

Related questions
See all questions in Covalent Bonds
Impact of this question
23080 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License