What is an ionic bond?
Ionic bonds are a type of chemical bond. An ionic bond is formed between metals (such as sodium, potassium and magnesium) and non-metals (such as oxygen, nitrogen and chlorine) or polyatomic ions (such as ammonium). The metal donates one or more electrons to the non-metal. This causes the metal to become positively charged (as it has lost at least one electron) and the non-metal to become negatively charges (as it has gained at least one electron). This attraction between the positive metal ions and the negative non-metal ions causes a bond (ionic bond) to be formed. Properties of Ionic Compounds • Nearly all ionic compounds have very high melting and boiling points. Hence, they exist as solids at room temperature. • Most ionic compounds are soluble in water. • Ionic compounds do not conduct electricity in the solid state. However, they will conduct electricity in molten and aqueous states, as the ions are free moving.
