Okuzeka
Chemistry vocabulary · Chemical Bonding and Structure

Ionic bond

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

nounCore term

In chemistry, ionic bond means: The strong attraction between positive and negative ions that forms when one atom, usually a metal, transfers electrons to another, usually a nonmetal. Sodium chloride is the classic case.

In Turkish: iyonik bağ

How it is used

Taught alongside covalent bonding. Ionic compounds have high melting points and conduct electricity when molten or dissolved in water. In an ionic bond electrons are transferred, not shared.

Example sentences

  1. Magnesium oxide has very strong ionic bonds, so it melts at about 2,800 °C.

  2. Is the bond in NaCl ionic or covalent?

Common collocations

  • ionic bonding
  • ionic compound
  • form an ionic bond
  • strong ionic bonds
  • covalent bondA chemical bond in which two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons. It usually forms between nonmetal atoms, as in H₂, H₂O and CH₄.
  • ionAn atom or group of atoms that carries an electric charge because it has gained or lost electrons. Positive ones are cations and negative ones are anions.
  • cationAn ion with a positive charge, formed when an atom or group of atoms loses electrons. Na⁺, Ca²⁺ and NH₄⁺ are examples.
  • anionAn ion with a negative charge, formed when an atom or group of atoms gains electrons. Cl⁻, OH⁻ and SO₄²⁻ are examples.
  • electronegativityA measure of how strongly an atom pulls shared electrons toward itself in a bond. Fluorine has the highest value, about 4.0 on the Pauling scale.

More terms: Chemical Bonding and Structure

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