Here's why:

* Electronegativity: Chlorine (Cl) is more electronegative than iodine (I). Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons. The difference in electronegativity between chlorine and iodine is not large enough to form an ionic bond.

* Sharing Electrons: Instead, they form a covalent bond where they share electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.

Specifically, the bond between chlorine and iodine is a single covalent bond, meaning they share one pair of electrons.

You might see this bond represented in a chemical formula like this: Cl-I