The balanced equation for the reaction between calcium and chlorine is: #"Ca(s)"# + #"Cl"_2"(g)"##rarr##"CaCl"_2#. During this reaction, the calcium atom gives its two valence electrons to two chlorine atoms. Each chlorine atom initially has seven valence electrons.This causes the calcium atom to become a cation with a 2+ charge, and each chlorine atom to become an anion with a 1- charge. The oppositely charged ions form an electrostatic attraction, which is an ionic bond. This process can be represented in a chemical equation as follows:
The following diagram uses Lewis dot structures to demonstrate the formation of calcium chloride.
The following You Tube video demonstrates how to determine the Lewis dot structures for calcium and chlorine atoms, and how to use Lewis dot structures to show the formation of calcium chloride.
