Chap 7: Ionic Bonding

Dear students, from here the tricky part of chemistry starts. So as not to confuse you, I have divided the
chapter of bonding into two parts: ionic bonding, and covalent and metallic bonding. This lecture deals
only with ionic bonding.

Before we begin, you all must understand the need for bonding. You see, atoms of many elements are
unstable, i.e. their valence (outermost) shell is incomplete. We have already learnt that atoms try to
complete their duplet or octet, and for this many of them either gain or lose electrons. Note that I say
many, not all. This transfer of electrons causes atoms to become charged, either positively or
negatively; these charged atoms are called ions. Anyway, we all know opposite charges attract each
other, and thats the whole phenomenon behind ionic bonding. There is a transfer of electrons between
atoms, and as they become oppositely charged, they attract each other and a strong bond is formed
between them. This is known as ionic bonding.

Ionic bonding occurs generally between metals of group I and II, and non-metals of groups VI and VII.
This is because of their configurations. Let us learn why.

Formation:
As I mentioned earlier, atoms try to complete their duplet or octet, in order to achieve stability. But who
gains electrons and who loses them?

Let us take the element sodium, which has the configuration 2,8,1. You can see that it has 1 electron in its
outermost shell. If it loses that electron, it will achieve stability. However, it could also gain 7 electrons
and achieve that goal. Compare losing the one electron to gaining SEVEN electrons; what would be
easier? Obviously losing the one it already has. So a metal (Group I and II) will always go for losing its
valence electrons, gaining a positive charge. A positively charged ion is known as a cation. Remember,
metals always form cations.
Now let us consider Chlorine. It has the configuration 2,8,7. It needs to gain either 1 electron to complete
its octet, or needs to lose 7 of its own electrons. Again, the easier solution would be to gain the one
instead of losing the seven, so it will gain, unlike metals. So, non-metals generally gain electrons to
achieve stability, forming negatively charged ions (anions).

You see in the above examples that Sodium loses 1 electron, while Chlorine gains 1. Where does the lost
electron go, and where does the gained electron come from? You see, the sodium atom gives an electron
to anyone willing to take it, and if we are reacting sodium and chlorine together, the chlorine accepts the
atom that sodium is giving. There is an exchange of electrons, and opposite charges are formed (+1 on
sodium and -1 on chlorine), causing electrostatic attraction between them that holds them together, and
thus an ionic bond is formed.

This can be shown by a dot and cross diagram.

Fig 7.1. Exchange of electrons between Na and Cl

In diagram 7.1, you can see that electrons of Na are represented by crosses, and electrons of Cl by dots.
The electron that Cl gains from Na is also represented by a cross, to show that a transfer took place. The
bond is then formed due to the attraction between opposite charges.
In O levels, ionic bonds are usually shown in this way.

Fig 7.2. Ionic Bond between Na and Cl.

This new compound is totally different from its products. It is called Sodium Chloride (NaCl), also known
as common salt in daily language. Compounds formed by ionic bonding are called ionic compounds,
therefore NaCl is an ionic compound.

Note: NaCl was just an example to explain the main concept of ionic bonds. There are many more
examples other than this. Also, Na and Cl do not always bond together.

Other Examples:
I mentioned earlier that Group I, II, VI and VII elements take part in ionic bonding. Aluminium (Group
III) forms some ionic compounds as well. Let us look at some more examples of Ionic Compounds.

Fig 7.3. Ionic Bonding in MgCl2.

In the above example, you can see that Magnesium (Group II) can lose two electrons, so two chlorine
atoms are needed to complete this bond. A +2 charge is formed on Mg atom, while a -1 charge comes on
both the Cl atoms, as each gains one electron.

Fig 7.4. Ionic Bonding in MgO.

In the above example, you can see that Magnesium must lose two electrons, while Oxygen must gain two.
So Magnesium gives both its electrons (gaining a +2 charge) to Oxygen, which accepts (gaining a -2
charge). So, Magnesium Oxide (MgO) is formed.

Structure:
Ionic Compounds form giant ionic structures, called giant lattice structure or crystal lattice. Let us, again,
take the example of NaCl, which forms a cubic lattice.
Fig 7.5. Cubic Lattice of NaCl.

In a cubic lattice, each Na+ is bonded to six Cl-, and each Cl- is in turn bonded to six Na+. No two Na+ ions
are placed together, and no two Cl- ions are placed together. This is why the structure is so strong; there is
attraction from every side which makes it difficult for ions to break apart.

Chemical Formulae:

The formula of an ionic compound is constructed by balancing the charges on the positive ions with those
on the negative ions. The positive charges must equal the negative charges. For example, in Sodium
Chloride, Sodium (whose symbol is Na) has charge +1, while Chlorine (whose symbol is Cl) has charge
-1. So 1 Na needs 1 Cl, therefore the chemical formula NaCl.

Now, lets consider Magnesium Oxide. Mg has +2 charge, while O has -2 charge. There is 1 to 1 ratio
between the ions, so the chemical formula is MgO.

But what happens when there isnt a 1 to 1 ratio? Let us take Aluminium Oxide. Al has the charge +3,
while O has the charge -2. The following way is adopted then.

Fig 7.6. Determining Chemical Formula by cross multiplying charges.

The subscript after each symbol represents the number of atoms of that element in each bond of a
compound. Here, we can see that in Al2O3, two Al3+ ions join with three O2- ions to form a complete bond

The above strategy may be adopted for determining the chemical formula of any ionic compound.
Remember, in 1-to-1 ratio, the numbers cancel out. Like in MgO, it should be actually Mg 2O2, but the 2s
cancel out, and we dont write 1 in any chemical formula.
Physical Properties:

Most ionic compounds have high melting and boiling points.

They are usually soluble in water.
They are usually insoluble in organic solvents.
 They do not conduct electricity in their solid state. However, they do conduct electricity in their
aqueous or molten state. This is because ions are free to move around when in aqueous or molten
states.