How many covalent bonds will bromine normally form?

Bromine will normally form one covalent bond. Bromine, which belongs to group 17 and period four of the Periodic Table, has seven outer shell or valence electrons. When a bromine atom forms a covalent bond with another bromine atom, the atom's outer shell has a full electron configuration.

A full electron configuration, which comprises of eight electrons, ensures the stability of the bond. Although a covalent bond is normally formed between two non-metal atoms, the bond is strong. When two atoms bond together, they form a molecule. A bromine molecule is called a diatomic molecule since it has only two atoms. Other examples that form a diatomic molecule are fluorine and oxygen.