Ionic Bonding

• Ionic Bonding


  Transfer of Electrons
• Ionic Bonding Formation


  1. Metals and non-metals can react together

  2. Metal atoms lose electrons to form positively charged ions

  3. Non-metal atoms gain these electrons to form negatively charged ions

  4. Oppositely charged ions are strongly attracted by electrostatic forces

  5. This attraction is called an ionic bond and holds the ions together to make an ionic compound
• Dot and Cross Diagrams


  • Show how electrons are arranged in an atom or ion
  • Each electron is represented by a dot or cross
  • Can show which atom the electrons in an ion originally came from
• Ionic Compounds

  • Sodium Chloride (NaCl)
  • Magnesium Oxide (MgO)
  • Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2)
• Sodium Chloride Formation


  1. Sodium (Na) atom loses its outer electron to form Na+ ion

  2. Chlorine (Cl) atom gains the electron to form Cl- ion
• Magnesium Oxide Formation


  1. Magnesium (Mg) atom loses its two outer electrons to form Mg2+ ion

  2. Oxygen (O) atom gains the electrons to form O2- ion
• Magnesium Chloride Formation

  1. Magnesium (Mg) atom loses its two outer electrons to form Mg2+ ion

  2. Two Chlorine (Cl) atoms each gain one electron to form two Cl- ions
• Dot and cross diagrams are useful for showing how ionic compounds are formed
• Dot and cross diagrams don't show the structure of the compound, the size of the ions or how they're arranged
• The electrons that are crosses are not different from the electrons that are dots, they are all the same