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Ionic Bonding

Ionic bonding is the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Outer shell electrons from a metal atom are transferred to the outer shell of a non-metal atom. The metal atom becomes a positive ion (cation) and the non-metal atom becomes a negative ion (anion).
The ions formed have the same configuration as a noble gas and are therefore electronically stable.

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Specification: OCR Chemistry A (H032), AS-level, 2.2.2 Bonding and structure. Topic: Electrons and Bonding.

Key terms in this lesson

Ion
A positively or negatively charged atom or group of atoms, formed by the loss or gain of electrons.
Cation
A positively charged ion, formed when an atom loses one or more electrons.
Anion
A negatively charged ion, formed when an atom gains one or more electrons.
Electron shell
A main energy level occupied by electrons, given a principal quantum number n, with n = 1 closest to and lowest in energy relative to the nucleus.

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