For multiple covalent bonds to form in molecules, the molecules must contain carbon nitrogen or oxygen.
Explanation:
- Think about carbon dioxide (CO2). If every oxygen atom imparts one electron to the carbon molecule, there will be 6 electrons in carbon particle and 7 electrons in every oxygen atom. This doesn't give the carbon atom as a total octet.
- Sometimes more than one set of electrons is shared between two atoms. In carbon dioxide, a second electron from every oxygen atom is likewise imparted with the central carbon atom, and the carbon particle imparts one more electron with every oxygen atom.
- Two sets of electrons shared between two atoms make a double bond between the atoms. A few particles contain triple bonds, covalent bonds in which three sets of electrons are shared by two atoms.