![Polar covalent bond[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/04/96904-004-C880B85D.gif)
In polar covalent bonds, such as that between hydrogen and oxygen atoms, the electrons are not transferred from one atom to the other as they are in an ionic bond. Instead, some outer electrons merely spend more time in the vicinity of the other atom. The effect of this orbital distortion is to induce regional net charges that hold the atoms together, such as in water molecules.
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