Answer:
An ionic bond forms when atoms transfer electrons.
Explanation:
Ionic bonds are formed when atoms transfer electrons. (In contrast, covalent bonds are formed when atoms share electrons.)
There's a distinction between the two: when two atoms react to form an ionic bond, one atom would completely lose one electron, while the other would completely gain that electron. The atom that loses the electron becomes a positively-charged ion called a cation, whereas the atom that gains the electron becomes a negatively-charged ion called an anion.
For example, consider the reaction between a sodium atom and a chlorine
atom:
.
When the sodium atom and the chlorine atom encounter, the sodium atom would lose one electron to form a positively-charged sodium ion, . The chlorine atom would gain that electron to form a negatively-charged chlorine ion
.
These two ions will readily attract each other because of the opposite electrostatic charges on them. This electrostatic attraction (between two ions of opposite charges) is an ionic bond.
Overall, it would appear as if the sodium atom transferred an electron to the chlorine
atom to form an ionic bond.
In contrast, when two atoms react to form a covalent bond, they share electrons without giving any away completely. Therefore, it is possible to break certain covalent bonds apart (using a beam of laser, for example) and obtain neutral atoms.
On the other hand, when an ionic bond was broken, the result would be two charged ions- not necessarily two neutral atoms. The electron transfer could not be reversed by simply breaking the bond.
For example, when table salt is melted (at a very high temperature,) the ionic bond between the sodium ions and chloride ions would (mostly) be broken. However, doing so would only generate a mixture of
and
ions- not sodium and chlorine atoms.