Which of the following best describes how atoms bond to form molecules?

• A. Atoms share or transfer electrons to achieve stable electron configurations.
• B. Atoms lose all their electrons to become stable ions.
• C. Atoms combine by absorbing photons to increase their energy levels.
• D. Atoms merge their nuclei to form a single larger atom.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that atoms bond to achieve more stable electron configurations, often resembling the electron configuration of noble gases.
2. Recognize that atoms can either share electrons (covalent bonding) or transfer electrons (ionic bonding) to complete their outer electron shells.
3. Eliminate options that describe processes unrelated to chemical bonding, such as atoms losing all electrons (which is not typical for stability), absorbing photons (which relates to energy absorption, not bonding), or merging nuclei (which describes nuclear reactions, not chemical bonds).
4. Recall that chemical bonds involve interactions of electrons in the outer shells, not changes to the nucleus or complete loss of electrons.
5. Conclude that the best description is that atoms share or transfer electrons to achieve stable electron configurations, which is the fundamental principle behind chemical bonding.