Bonding
There are two types of bonding studied at GCSE Single Award:
- ionic bonding An ionic bond is the attraction between oppositely charged ions.
- covalent bondingA covalent bond is formed by a shared pair of electrons.
Ionic bonding
Ionic bonding occurs in compoundA substance formed when two or more elements are chemically combined. that contain a metal Shiny element that is a good conductor of electricity and heat. (usually a Group 1 or 2 elements) with a noble gasesAn element placed in Group 0 of the periodic table, which starts with helium and ends with radon. They do not react easily with other elements. (usually a Group 6 or 7 element). They bond to form metal compoundA compound that contains one or more metal elements bonded to another element..
When forming an ionic compound:
- electronSubatomic particle, with a negative charge and a negligible mass relative to protons and neutrons. are transferred from the metal atom to the non-metal atom.
- this forms oppositely-charged ionA charged particle formed when an atom gains or loses electrons..
- the metal ion has a positive charge.
- the non-metal ion has a negative charge.
- an ionic bond is the attraction between these oppositely-charged ions.
- ionic bonding is strong and requires substantial amounts of energy to break.