In covalent bonding, stable electron configurations are assumed by the sharing of electrons between adjacent atoms. Two atoms that are covalently bonded will each contribute at least one electron to the bond, and the shared electrons may be considered to belong to both atoms. Covalent bonding is schematically illustrated in Figure 2.10 for a molecule of methane . The carbon atom has four valence electrons, whereas each of the four hydrogen atoms has a single valence electron. Each hydrogen atom can acquire a helium electron configuration (two 1s valence electrons) when the carbon atom shares with it one electron. The carbon now has four additional shared electrons, one from each hydrogen, for a total of eight valence electrons, and the electron structure of neon. The covalent bond is directional; that is, it is between specific atoms and may exist only in the direction between one atom and another that participates in the electron sharing.