Ionic Bond Reading
Ionic Bonding:
Did you ever try playing around with magnets when you were younger? If you have, you have probably noticed that the positive and negative ends of the magnets attract each other. This interaction remains the same on the atomic level, with ionic bonds (a chemical bond between two charged atoms). Ionic compounds are mostly formed between a metal and nonmetal.
Often times, atoms bond together following the octet rule (atoms seek to fill their valence shell with eight electrons when they bond). In an ionic bond, one atom gives up an electron to another atom, resulting in both the atom’s valence shells being filled and one atom becoming positively charged and one atom becoming negatively charged.
The charges of atoms in ionic compounds can be attributed to the electronegativity (the ability of an atom or molecule to attract electrons) of the atoms. The atom with the highest electronegativity becomes the negatively charged ion and the atom with the least electronegativity becomes the positively charged ion.
Properties of Ionic Compounds:
- Form crystal lattices
- Hard
- Brittle
- High melting points
- High boiling points
- Conduct electricity only when dissolved in water
Examples of Ionic Compounds:
- Sodium Chloride (table salt) - NaCl
- Potassium Bromide - KBr
- Sodium Fluoride - NaF
- Potassium Iodide - KI
Khan Academy - Chemical Bonds:
Practice with Ionic Bonds:
https://www.oercommons.org/courses/ionic-bonding/view
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