Chemical bonding is the attractive force that holds atoms or ions together in a chemical compound, allowing elements to either share or transfer electrons to achieve a filled outer shell, similar to noble gases. When focusing on ionic bonding, it is essential to understand that ionic compounds, also known as ionic salts, consist of a positive ion (cation) and a negative ion (anion). The attraction between these opposing charges is what enables the formation of ionic compounds.
In ionic bonding, metals typically lose their valence electrons, resulting in a positive charge, while nonmetals gain electrons, leading to a negative charge. This transfer of electrons lowers the potential energy of the resulting ions. For instance, sodium (Na), which is in Group 1A, loses an electron to become Na+, while chlorine (Cl), found in Group 7A, gains that electron to become Cl-. The combination of these oppositely charged ions results in the formation of sodium chloride (NaCl), a classic example of an ionic compound.
It is important to differentiate ionic compounds from covalent compounds, which consist solely of nonmetals and involve the sharing of electrons rather than the transfer. However, the fundamental principle of ionic compounds remains the attraction between cations and anions, driven by their opposite charges, which leads to the creation of stable ionic solids.