Ionic bonding binds oppositely charged ions through attraction governed by electrostatics. In ordinary solid sodium chloride, each cation interacts with many anions, and also with other cations: attraction and repulsion together contribute to the binding of an extended ionic crystal. The chemical formula specifies equal numbers of the two kinds of ions; it does not divide the solid into isolated two-atom molecules.[ref]
This distinction explains a striking combination of properties: ordinary dry sodium chloride conducts electric current poorly, while its molten form or a sufficiently concentrated chemical solution in water conducts well. The ions already exist in the solid; their ability to move through the sample changes. A conductivity experiment on salt solutions tests this transport picture, rather than simply asserting that charged constituents must make every material conductive.
An isolated ion pair, a plane of an extended ionic crystal, and a synthetic potential energy model with a stable spacing
. Original schematic geometry and calculated model curves, not a measured electron density, diffraction pattern, or experimental lattice energy. Four nearest neighbours are visible in the plane of the rock salt structure; two more lie perpendicular to it. Disk sizes are arbitrary. The right-hand curves use the explicitly stipulated dimensionless model below. Details. Articles by others on the same topic
Ionic bonding is a type of chemical bond that occurs when atoms transfer electrons from one to another, resulting in the formation of charged particles known as ions. This transfer typically occurs between atoms of significantly different electronegativities, such as metals and non-metals.