Question

What is an ionic bond?

Answer 1

Ionic bonds are bonds between ions.

Explanation:

An ion is a charged particle, meaning that it is not balanced in positive and negative charges.

An ionic bond is the complete transfer of electrons between two atoms. The most common ionic bond I can think of is table salt, `NaCl`.

On the periodic table, sodium is in group `1`, while chlorine is in group `7`. So, sodium would like to lose that extra electron to become `Na^+`, while chlorine wants to gain that electron to become `Cl^-`.

When these two substances combine, the charge evens out, and the new compound becomes neutral in charge.

`Na^++Cl^(-)->NaCl`

Remember that for an ionic bond, you need a metal and a non-metal, and the electronegativity differences between the two elements chosen should be more than `2`.