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Coordinate covalent bond

covalent bond in a coordination complex in which the shared electrons are donated by one of the atoms and also known as dative bond

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 26, 2026
Entity authorityQ499548 ↗
Source-derived summary

In coordination chemistry, a coordinate covalent bond, also known as a dative bond, dipolar bond, or coordinate bond is a kind of two-center, two-electron covalent bond in which the two electrons derive from the same atom. The bonding of metal ions to ligands involves this kind of interaction. This type of interaction is central to Lewis acid–base theory.

Coordinate bonds are commonly found in coordination compounds.

Examples

Coordinate covalent bonding is ubiquitous. In all metal aquo-complexes [M(H2O)n]m+, the bonding between water and the metal cation is described as a coordinate covalent bond. Metal-ligand interactions in most organometallic compounds and most coordination compounds are described similarly.

The term dipolar bond is used in organic chemistry for compounds such as amine oxides for which the electronic structure can be described in terms of the basic amine donating two electrons to an oxygen atom.

R3N → O

The arrow → indicates that both electrons in the bond originate from the amine moiety. In a standard covalent bond each atom contributes one electron.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Coordinate covalent bond” as covalent bond in a coordination complex in which the shared electrons are donated by one of the atoms and also known as dative bond. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current 169-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Coordinate, covalent and bond can be independently traced.
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The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as covalent bond in a coordination complex in which the shared electrons are donated by one of the atoms and also known as dative bond. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q499548. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

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This entry incorporates text from “Coordinate covalent bond” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.