Which of the following compounds contains both ionic and covalent bonds?

• A. CO_2
• B. NaNO_3
• C. NaCl
• D. KBr

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the difference between ionic and covalent bonds: Ionic bonds form between metals and nonmetals through the transfer of electrons, while covalent bonds form between nonmetals by sharing electrons.
2. Analyze each compound to identify the types of bonds present:
3. For CO_2 (carbon dioxide), it consists of carbon and oxygen, both nonmetals, so it contains only covalent bonds.
4. For NaCl (sodium chloride) and KBr (potassium bromide), these are composed of a metal and a nonmetal, so they contain only ionic bonds.
5. For NaNO_3 (sodium nitrate), it contains Na^+ (a metal cation) and NO_3^- (a polyatomic ion). The bond between Na^+ and NO_3^- is ionic, while the bonds within the NO_3^- ion (between nitrogen and oxygen atoms) are covalent. Therefore, NaNO_3 contains both ionic and covalent bonds.