Bond formation in nitrogen molecule. Illustration of the sharing of electrons (dots and crosses) between two nitrogen atoms (N) to form a molecule of nitrogen (N2). This is an example of covalent bonding, with the triple bond formed by three shared electron pairs, each pair consisting of an electron from each atom. The outer electron shell of each atom is shown as a red ring. Nitrogen is a gas at room temperature and pressure. For the atoms before the bonds form, see image C028/6484.