Ionic Bond

This describes the electrostatic attraction of two oppositely charged ions in a crystalline lattice. When two oppositely charged atoms share at least one pair of electrons but the electrons spend more time near one of the atoms than the other.

The potential energy due to the attraction between sodium chloride (Na+-Cl -) ions is given as:
where
V = potential energy [J]
e = electron charge = 1.602x10-19 C
ε0 = permittivity of free space = 8.85x10-12 Fm-1
r = distance between ions [m]

Unlike covalent bonds, ionic bond formation involves transfer of electrons, and ionic bonding is not directional.

See also: Covalent Bond, Ionic Compound, Polar Bond.

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Subjects: Chemistry Physics