A simple model of the chemical bond is developed on the basis of an elementary MO theory requiring solution of at most a 2 × 2 Hückel secular equation including overlap. The fundamental quantities are the atomic integrals α1 and α2 giving the energies of the isolated atoms or ions, and the bond integral b which depends on the overlap S between the interacting AOs. For homonuclear diatomics, the interaction is first order in b, and the bond is formed as long as the number of electrons in bonding MOs is greater than the number of electrons in antibonding MOs. When the number of bonding electrons equals the number of antibonding electrons Pauli repulsion occurs, provided overlap between the interacting AOs is explicitly considered. Model bond energies with |β| « 60 kcal mol–1 and |βπ| « 55 kcal mol–1 reproduce experimental atomization energy results for σ- and π-electrons of most first-row homonuclear diatomics with an average error not exceeding 10%. Bond stereochemistry is introduced in terms of bond energy maximization. Symmetry arguments are used to reduce consideration of CH4 to a set of 2 × 2 secular equations, whose best energy corresponds to the tetrahedral arrangement of four straight CH bonds, explaining in a natural way the formation of four equivalent sp3 hybrids on carbon. Next, electron distribution in a two-electron bond is considered, and atomic, overlap, gross atomic, and formal charges are introduced to explain the origin of molecular electric moments.