Ionic Bonding

• Ions are atoms that have lost or gained electron/electrons.
• Ionic compounds are held together by strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions.
• The metal forms a positive ion and the nonmetal forms a negative ion in an ionic bond.
• A giant structure of ions is known as an ionic compound.
• The forces act in all directions in the lattice, and this is called ionic bonding.
• Compounds with giant ionic lattices have high melting and boiling points due to the strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions.
• When molten or in aqueous solution, the ions in ionic compounds are free to move carrying charge and conducting electricity.
• As a solid, the ions in ionic compounds are in fixed positions and cannot conduct electricity.
• Ionic compounds do not conduct electricity when solid, but do conduct electricity when molten and in aqueous solution.
• An example of an ionic compound is sodium chloride (salt), which consists of Na+ (small blue particles) and Cl- (larger green ones).
• Metal atoms lose electrons to become positively charged ions.
• A cation is a positive ion with a charge of +.
• An anion is a negative ion with a charge of -.
• Dot-and-cross diagrams can be used to show the formation of ionic compounds by electron transfer, limited to combinations of elements from Groups 1, 2, 3 and 5, 6, 7 only.
• Ionic compounds are formed when a metal and nonmetal react.
• Group 5 metals have a charge of -3.
• Group 7 metals have a charge of -1.
• Compounds formed between the ions listed above have no overall charge, therefore charges of ions must cancel out.
• Metals in Groups 1, 2 and 3, nonmetals in Groups 5, 6 and 7, Ag+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Pb2+, Zn2+, hydrogen (H+) and hydroxide (OH-) have known charges.
• Group 2 metals have a charge of +2.
• Group 3 metals have a charge of +3.
• Nonmetal atoms gain electrons to become negatively charged ions.
• Group 1 metals have a charge of +1.
• Ionic bonds are formed by the transfer of electrons from the outer shell of the metal to the outer shell of the nonmetal.
• Group 6 metals have a charge of -2.