Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
When two atoms trade electrons between their outer orbital shells, becoming a cation
and an anion, they form an
ionicbond.
The result of an ionic bond is that the positively
charged cation and negatively charged anion combine into a compound that has a neut-
ral charge. This type of bond is created when a metal element combines with a nonmetal
element.
All ionic bonds create compounds called
salts.
You are most familiar with table salt, or
NaCl. In this molecule, an atom of sodium (Na) and an atom of chlorine (Cl) have bon-
ded together. They are held together because the single electron in the outer shell of the
sodium atom has been donated to fill the outer shell of chlorine (which had only seven
electrons to begin with). This bond is illustrated in Figure 5-4.
Figure 5-4:
The
ionic bond
between sodium
and chloride to
form a molecule of
NaCl.
