Dative bond

A dative bond, also known as a coordinate bond, occurs when one atom provides both electrons needed to form a shared pair in a chemical bond. Unlike typical bonds where each atom supplies one electron, in a dative bond, one atom donates a lone pair—an unshared pair of electrons—without initially sharing any electrons itself. This often happens when a molecule or ion has a lone pair that it can donate to another atom or ion with an empty orbital, creating a stable connection. An example is the formation of the ammonium ion (NH₄⁺) when a nitrogen atom donates a lone pair to a proton (H⁺).