20. There are two basic steps that take place when forming an ionic bond. a) The formation of
due to the transfer of electrons between
two atoms. In our example of sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium (Na) only has
electron in its valence shell and a lower electronegativity than
chlorine (CI), so Na will lose its valence electron to Cl. This produces a sodium
ion, with a
charge (Na+1). Chlorine has
electrons in its
valence shell and because of its higher electronegativity, gains an electron from
Na. This produces a chloride ion with a
charge (Cl-).
b) Once the ions have formed through the transfer of electrons, the
charges of the ions are attracted to one another, forming the
ionic bond.