Question

What type of bond is formed in a diatomic element where the two atoms are identical?

Answer 1

Hint: Diatomic elements are those elements that are made of two atoms of the same element chemically bonded together. The type of bond formed between two atoms depends upon the electronegativity difference between the two.

Complete answer:
All elements in the universe try to achieve a stable state configuration. Chemical species also attain stability by forming favorable bonds with each other. The bonds formed can be of any type. It could be an ionic or a covalent bond. This depends upon the electronegativity of the participating atoms.
Electronegativity is the tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself in a chemical bond. Elements with a large difference in electronegativity values tend to form ionic bonds and elements having similar electronegativity tend to form covalent bonds.
Now, a diatomic element is formed when two atoms of the same element bond with each other. In this type of bond formation, atoms of the same element are involved and since they are identical, they would have the same electronegativity values. So, when they come near to form a bond, there will be no difference at all in the electronegativity and the electrons will be equally shared by the two atoms.
This results in a pure covalent bond. Hence, a pure covalent bond is formed in a diatomic element where the two atoms are identical.

Note:
In most cases, the electrons in a covalent bond are not shared equally. In such a case where one atom attracts the bonding electrons slightly more than does the other, asymmetrical distribution of electrons takes place making one end of the molecule more electron-rich (it acquires a partial negative charge) and the other end carries a partial positive charge. This results in the formation of a polar molecule.