How do the strengths of single, double, and triple covalent bonds compare?

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Diagram showing the formation of a polar covalent bond in a water molecule, with two hydrogen atoms bonding to one oxygen atom to form H2O, illustrating shared electrons and chemical reaction. — covalent bond In polar covalent bonds, such as that between hydrogen and oxygen atoms, the electrons are not transferred from one atom to the other as they are in an ionic bond. Instead, some outer electrons merely spend more time in the vicinity of the other atom. The effect of this orbital distortion is to induce regional net charges that hold the atoms together, such as in water molecules.

In chemistry, the strength of covalent bonds increases with the number of shared electron pairs between atoms. Specifically, a double bond is stronger than a single bond, and a triple bond is stronger than a double bond.1

This hierarchy of strength is explained by the composition of the bonds:
* Single bonds consist of one sigma bond.2
* Double bonds comprise one sigma bond and one pi bond.23
* Triple bonds comprise one sigma bond and two pi bonds.42

While strength increases with the number of bonds, it is not strictly additive; a double bond is not necessarily twice as strong as a single bond, nor is a triple bond necessarily three times as strong. Additionally, as bond strength increases, the bond length typically decreases.13