An ionic bond is the strong electrostatic force of attraction between oppositely charged ions, formed by the transfer of electrons from a metal to a non-metal.
An ionic bond is the strong electrostatic force of attraction between oppositely charged ions, formed by the transfer of electrons from a metal atom to a non-metal atom. Malay: ikatan ion · Chinese: 离子键.
An ionic bond forms in two connected steps. First, a metal atom loses one or more outer electrons and a non-metal atom gains them, so each atom reaches a stable octet or duplet; this electron transfer turns the metal into a positive cation and the non-metal into a negative anion. Second, these oppositely charged ions attract one another by a strong electrostatic force, and that force of attraction is the bond itself. Because the attraction acts in every direction, the ions pack into a giant ionic lattice rather than into separate molecules.
Example. When sodium meets chlorine, each sodium atom (2.8.1) transfers one electron to a chlorine atom (2.8.7). This produces Na+ (2.8) and Cl− (2.8.8), and the strong attraction between them is the ionic bond in sodium chloride, NaCl. When magnesium reacts with oxygen, each Mg atom transfers two electrons to an O atom, giving Mg2+ and O2− held by an ionic bond in MgO.
Confusion to avoid. Do not confuse an ionic bond with a covalent bond. In an ionic bond electrons are transferred and ions are formed; in a covalent bond electrons are shared and no ions are formed. Also state the phrase in full, “strong electrostatic force of attraction between oppositely charged ions”, because a vaguer answer such as “the ions stick together” will not earn the mark.
The ionic bond is one of the two central bonding types of this chapter, and its strength is what gives ionic compounds their high melting points, a link tested repeatedly in SPM Chemistry.
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