What type of bond is formed in a water molecule?

In a water molecule, the type of bond that is formed is a polar covalent bond. This is due to the significant difference in electronegativity between the oxygen and hydrogen atoms. Oxygen, being more electronegative, attracts the shared electrons in the bond more strongly than hydrogen. As a result, the oxygen atom acquires a partial negative charge, while the hydrogen atoms acquire partial positive charges. This unequal sharing of electrons creates a polar molecule, meaning that it has a positive end and a negative end, leading to its distinctive properties, such as the ability to dissolve many substances and its high surface tension.

The other types of bonds mentioned do not apply here: ionic bonds involve the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, resulting in charged ions; nonpolar covalent bonds involve equal sharing of electrons between atoms, leading to no charge separation; and hydrogen bonds are attractions between partially positive hydrogen atoms and electronegative atoms in other molecules, which are not the primary bond within the water molecule itself but rather interactions between water molecules or other polar molecules.