lithium chloride or licl is a salt It is an ionic compound because the Lithium atom readily releases its lone valence electron to the chlorine atom thus forming an ionic bond
An ionic bond is found between a metal and a non-metal, or a cation and anion. The metal always gives electrons away, and the non-metal always gains electrons. So in the bond for lithium chloride, the lithium ion gives away one electron (giving it a 1+ oxidation number) and the chloride ion takes the electron (giving it a 1- oxidation number) so the chemical formula is written as a 1:1 ratio, since they give and take the same number of electrons. The chemical formula is written as LiCl. This gives you 1 - lithium and 1- chlorine.
