In <strong>ionic</strong> compounds, one or more electrons are transfered from one atom to another, forming ions<br />
 that have an integer value for charge (ex. +1 or -2). In <strong>covalent</strong> bonds, the electrons may be shared<br />
 unevenly, not transferred, which results in a surface charge that is a fractional value (ex. +0.35 or -0.47).<br />
  Covalently bonded molecules, both polar and non-polar, have an overall neutral charge.