Combined ScienceCode 5129
Ions and ionic bonds
What this topic asks you to be able to do
- Outline how positive ions (cations) and negative ions (anions) arise, with each ion ending up with a noble gas electronic configuration
- Describe ionic compounds as having a giant lattice structure, in which positive and negative ions alternate in a regular arrangement
- State that an ionic bond is the strong electrostatic attraction that acts between ions of opposite charge
- Outline how ionic bonds come about between ions from metallic and non-metallic elements, including sodium and chlorine forming NaCl and magnesium and chlorine forming MgCl2
- Apply dot-and-cross diagrams to demonstrate how ionic bonds are formed
- Describe the properties of ionic compounds and explain them using ideas about structure and bonding: (a) high melting and boiling points (b) electrical conductivity that is good when the compound is molten or aqueous, and poor when it is solid