Ionic Bonding
When a metal reacts with non-metal, electrons are transferred from the metal to the non-metal.
The atoms of the metal, having lost electrons, become positively charged ions.
The atoms of the non-metal, having gained electrons, become negatively charged ions.
These oppositely charged ions attract each other and ionic bond is formed.
The resulting molecule is neutral.
ex. NaCl
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- Na has 1 electron in its valence shell - Na loses 1 electron - Na takes on a + charge.
- Cl has 7 electrons in its valence shell - Cl gains one electron - Cl takes on a - charge.
- notice that the number of electrons lost by a single Na and the number of electrons gained by a Cl matches perfectly, producing a neutral compound (NaCl).
ex. Ca3N2
- Ca has 2 electrons in its valence shell - Ca loses 2 electrons - Ca takes on a 2+ charge.
- N has 5 electrons in its valence shell - N gains 3 electrons - N takes on a 3- charge.
- notice that the number of electrons lost by a single Ca and the number of electrons gained by a single N does not match, so we require multiple of each element.
- the total number of electrons lost by all the Ca (2 + 2 + 2 = 6) matches the total number of electrons gained by all the N (3 + 3 = 6),, producing a neutral compound (Ca3N2).
Conductivity of Ionic Compounds
A physical property that can be used to qualitatively analyze if a substance is an electrolyte (ionic) or a non-electrolyte.
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