An electron transfer occurs in which type of bond?

In ionic bonds, an electron transfer occurs between atoms. This type of bond typically forms when one atom has a strong tendency to lose electrons, becoming a positively charged ion, while another atom has a strong tendency to gain electrons, resulting in a negatively charged ion. This transfer of electrons creates ions with opposite charges that attract each other, leading to the formation of the ionic bond.

Ionic bonds often occur between metals, which tend to lose electrons, and nonmetals, which tend to gain electrons, thus stabilizing both atoms in the process. This mechanism is quite different from other types of bonds like covalent bonds, where electrons are shared rather than transferred. In hydrogen bonds and metallic bonds, the interactions primarily involve sharing or pooling electrons rather than the complete transfer that characterizes ionic bonds.