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3: Ionic Bonding and Simple Ionic Compounds

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    303882
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    There are only 118 known chemical elements but tens of millions of known chemical compounds. Compounds can be very complex combinations of atoms, but many important compounds are fairly simple. Table salt, as we have seen, consists of only two elements: sodium and chlorine. Nevertheless, the compound has properties completely different from either elemental sodium (a chemically reactive metal) or elemental chlorine (a poisonous, green gas). We will see additional examples of such differences in this chapter as we consider how atoms combine to form compounds.

    • 3.1: Prelude to Ionic Bonding and Simple Ionic Compounds
      We will see that the word salt has a specific meaning in chemistry, but to most people, this word refers to table salt. This kind of salt is used as a condiment throughout the world, but it was not always so abundant. Two thousand years ago, Roman soldiers received part of their pay as salt, which explains why the words salt and salary come from the same Latin root (salarium). Today, table salt is either mined or obtained from the evaporation of saltwater.
    • 3.2: Two Types of Bonding
      Atoms have a tendency to have eight electrons in their valence shell. The attraction of oppositely charged ions is what makes ionic bonds.
    • 3.3: Ions
      Ions can be positively charged or negatively charged. A Lewis diagram is used to show how electrons are transferred to make ions and ionic compounds.
    • 3.4: Formulas for Ionic Compounds
      Proper chemical formulas for ionic compounds balance the total positive charge with the total negative charge. Groups of atoms with an overall charge, called polyatomic ions, also exist.
    • 3.5: Ionic Nomenclature
      Each ionic compound has its own unique name that comes from the names of the ions. After learning a few more details about the names of individual ions, you will be a step away from knowing how to name ionic compounds. This section begins the formal study of nomenclature, the systematic naming of chemical compounds.
    • 3.6: Formula Mass
      Formula masses of ionic compounds can be determined from the masses of the atoms in their formulas.
    • 3.7: Characteristics of Ionic Compounds
      Ionic compounds are composed of cations and anions that are strongly attracted to each other. Hence, ionic solids have very high melting points and are extremely hard. When dissolved in water, the ions separate from each other, allowing them to form electrolyte solutions.
    • 3.E: Ionic Bonding and Simple Ionic Compounds (Exercises)
      These are homework exercises to accompany Chapter 3 of the Ball et al. "The Basics of GOB Chemistry" Textmap.
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    3: Ionic Bonding and Simple Ionic Compounds is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.