| covalent | Denoting an interatomic bond characterised by the sharing of 2, 4, or 6 electrons. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| covalent bond | A bond between two or more atoms that is provided by electrons that travel between the atoms' nuclei, holding them together but keeping them a stable distance apart. (09 Oct 1997) |
| covalently closed circular DNA | <molecular biology> A circular molecule of double-stranded DNA which is supercoiled, or coiled up on itself due to internal tensions, because there are no breaks in the phosphate backbone (upon which the nucleotide bases are mounted) to relieve the tensions and allow it to form an open circle. (09 Oct 1997) |
| coordinate covalent bond | A bond in which the two electrons shared by a pair of atoms belonged originally to only one of the atoms; often represented by a small arrow pointing toward the electron receiver; e.g., nitric acid, O(OH)N→O; phosphoric acid, (OH)3P→O. Synonym: coordinate covalent bond. (05 Mar 2000) |
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