• As a general rule,?metals?are on the?left?of the periodic table and?nonmetals?are on the?right-hand?side
• Ionic?bonding?involves the?transfer?of electrons from a?metallic?element to a?non-metallic?element
• Transferring electrons usually leaves the metal and the non-metal with a?full?outer?shell
• Metals?lose?electrons from their valence shell forming?positively charged cations
• Non-metal atoms?gain?electrons forming?negatively charged anions
• Once the atoms become ions, their electronic configurations are the same as a noble gas
  • A potassium ion (K+) has the same electronic configuration as argon: [2,8,8]+
  • A chloride ion (Cl-) also has the same electronic configuration as argon: [2,8,8]-

Forming cations by the removal of electrons from metals

Forming anions by the addition of electrons to nonmetals

• Cations?and?anions?are oppositely charged and therefore attracted to each other
• Electrostatic?attractions?are formed between the oppositely charged ions to form?ionic?compounds
• The?ionic bond?is the?electrostatic attraction?formed?between the oppositely charged ions, which occurs in all directions ( this called?non-directional bonding)
• This form of attraction is?very strong?and requires a?lot of energy?to overcome
  • This causes high melting points in ionic compounds

   

Cations and anions bond together using strong electrostatic forces, which require a lot of energy to overcome

• The ions form a?lattice?structure?which is an evenly distributed?crystalline?structure
• Ions in a lattice are arranged in a?regular?repeating?pattern?so that positive charges cancel out negative charges
• The attraction between the cations and anions is occurring in all directions
  • Each ion is attracted to all of the oppositely charged ions around it

   

• Therefore the final lattice is overall electrically?neutral

Ionic solids are arranged in lattice structures