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How does a coordinate covalent bond compare with an ordinary covalent bond?

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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, a covalent bond is defined as an interatomic linkage resulting from the sharing of an electron pair between two atoms.1

Historically, some formulations distinguished between two types of covalent bonds:
* Standard covalent bonds: Formed by electrons supplied by both participating atoms.21
* Coordinate covalent bonds (or dative bonds): Described as bonds where both shared electrons are supplied by only one of the two atoms.324

It is important to clarify that the suggestion that a coordinate covalent bond differs fundamentally from an ordinary covalent bond is inaccurate. Modern chemical understanding recognizes that these are not distinct types of bonds. The attempt to track the specific origin of bonding electrons is often considered unnecessary, and the usage of the term "coordinate covalent bond" has largely fallen into disfavour because it implies a functional difference that does not exist. Once formed, the resulting bond is simply a covalent bond.21