In a recently reported method, the molecular density is partitioned in minimally deformed atomic contributions, which are expanded in spherical harmonics times radial factors. Here we use this representation to express the electrostatic potential of the molecule, the force on its nuclei, and the conformational variations of energy in terms of some simple integrals of the atomic radial factors. As a first application, we analyze the relationship between the density and the binding forces (and the bonding energy) in the diatomic molecules of the first row atoms. Two types of forces act on each nucleus: the self-pulling exerted by its own cloud and the external force due to the remaining atoms. The self-pulling comes only from the dipole type term of the atomic density. The external force comes from the other clouds and nuclei and is dominated by the effective charges which depend on the outermost region of the charge term. Analyzing the progressive deformations of the atoms when they approach each other, the forces associated with these deformations and their contributions to the energy, one has a detailed description of the chemical bond which is complementary, and in many aspects more appealing, than the conventional ones.