The force of attraction that holds two atoms together as the result of the rearrangement of the electrons between them is called what?

• A. Valence electrons
• B. Chemical bond
• C. Ion
• D. Polyatomic ions

Answer: (B)

When atoms come together, electrons rearrange to reach a more stable arrangement, and this rearrangement creates an attractive force that holds the atoms together. That binding force is a chemical bond. It can form by sharing electrons between atoms (covalent bonds) or by transferring electrons so that opposite charges attract (ionic bonds), with additional cases like metallic bonds in metals. Valence electrons are the electrons involved in bonding, but they’re not the force itself—just the participants. An ion is what you get when electrons are transferred, giving a charged particle, and polyatomic ions are groups of atoms bonded together with a net charge; neither term names the general binding force.