Ionic Bonds

An ionic bond is formed when one atom accepts or donates one or more of its valence electrons to another atom. Ionic bonds are formed due to the attraction between an atom that has lost one or more electron (known as a cation) and an atom that has gained one or more electrons (known as an anion). Usually, the cation is a metal atom and the anion is a non-metal atom.

Examples:

Sodium Chloride

Salt or Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is a good example of a ionic bonding. Sodium (Na) has 1 valance electron and Chlorine (Cl) has 7 electrons in its outer orbit. If Sodium lost its valance electron, its next shell will be full. But that would also make Sodium a positive ion. If Chlorine gained 1 valance electron, its shell would be full with a maximum of 8 electrons, and it would then be a negative ion.

Thus Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is a bonding of the Na⁺ ion and the Cl^- ion.

In its solid form as table salt, the Na⁺ and the Cl^- ions are held in place in a crystalline lattice. When dissolved in water, the ions freely roam about the solution.

Sodium Fluoride

Sodium and Fluorine bond ionically to form Sodium Fluoride. Sodium loses its outer electron to give it a stable electronic configuration, and this electron enters the fluorine atom.

     

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