Question

How does the formation of a covalent bond lower the potential energy of the two atoms in the bond?

Answer 1

From VBT (valence bond theory) we know that during the formation of covalent bond the atoms approach one another, their electron clouds gradually begin to overlap ( electrostatic force, high charge density at the internuclear region as a result from the overlapping of atomic orbitals), sometimes we call it as hybridization also. When the electrons of both atom starts to be attracted to the nucleus of the aother atom, it decreases the repulsive forces and increases attractive force, this makes the potential energy of the system decrease. The attractive force is stronger than the repulsive force during bond formation hence the potential energy of the system decreases.

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