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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Your notes

Chemistry
Ions & Ionic Bonds
Contents
Ions & Ionic Bonds
Ionic Bonds & Lattice Structure
Properties of Ionic Compounds

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Ions & Ionic Bonds

Your notes
The formation of ions
How are ions formed?
An ion is an electrically charged atom or group of atoms formed by the loss or gain of electrons
This loss or gain of electrons takes place to obtain a full outer shell of electrons
The electronic structure of ions of elements in Groups 1, 2, 6 and 7 will be the same as that of a noble
gas - such as helium, neon, and argon
Negative ions are called anions and form when atoms gain electrons, meaning they have more
electrons than protons
Positive ions are called cations and form when atoms lose electrons, meaning they have more protons
than electrons
All metals lose electrons to other atoms to become positively charged ions
All non-metals gain electrons from other atoms to become negatively charged ions

Formation of a cation

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Your notes

Formation of positively charged sodium ion

Formation of an Anion

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Your notes

Formation of negatively charged chloride ion

Examiner Tips and Tricks

We can determine the charge an ion will have from the group the element is found in:
Elements in Group 1 form ions with a 1+ charge
Elements in Group 2 form ions with a 2+ charge
Elements in Group 6 form ions with a 2- charge
Elements in Group 7 form ions with a 1- charge

What is ionic bonding?

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The Formation of Ionic Bonds

Ionic compounds are formed when metal atoms react with non-metal atoms Your notes
Metal atoms lose their outer electrons which the non-metal atoms gain to form positive and negative
ions
The positive and negative ions are held together by strong electrostatic forces of attraction between
opposite charges
This force of attraction is known as an ionic bond and they hold ionic compounds together

Dot-and-cross diagrams
Dot and cross diagrams are diagrams that show the arrangement of the outer-shell electrons in
an ionic or covalent compound or element
The electrons are shown as dots and crosses
In a dot and cross diagram:
Only the outer electrons are shown
The charge of the ion is spread evenly which is shown by using brackets
The charge on each ion is written at the top right-hand corner

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Your notes

Electrostatic forces between the positive Na ion and negative Cl ion

Ionic bonds between Group I & Group VII elements

Group I & Group VII Ions
Sodium is a Group 1 metal so loses one outer electron to another atom to gain a full outer shell of
electrons
A positive sodium ion with the charge 1+ is formed, Na+
Chlorine is a Group 7 non-metal so gains one electron to have a full outer shell of electrons
A negative chloride ion with a charge of 1– is formed, Cl–
The ions are then attracted to one another and held together by electrostatic forces
The formula of the ionic compound is thus NaCl
The large square brackets should encompass each atom and the charge should be in superscript and
on the right-hand side, outside the brackets

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Diagram representing the formation of the ionic bond in sodium

chloride Your notes

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Sodium loses one electron and chlorine gains an electron

Your notes

Dot-and-cross diagram of sodium chloride

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Ionic Bonds & Lattice Structure

Your notes
The lattice structure of ionic compounds
Extended tier only
Lattice structure
Ionic compounds have a giant lattice structure
Lattice structure refers to the arrangement of the atoms of a substance in 3D space
In lattice structures, the atoms are arranged in an ordered and repeating fashion
The lattices formed by ionic compounds consist of a regular arrangement of alternating positive and
negative ions

The lattice structure of NaCl

Ionic bonds between metallic & non-metallic

elements
Extended tier only
Ionic compounds

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Ionic compounds are formed when metal atoms and non-metal atoms react
The ionic compound has no overall charge Your notes
Example; magnesium Oxide, MgO
Magnesium is a Group II metal so will lose two outer electrons to another atom to have a full outer shell
of electrons
A positive ion with the charge 2+ is formed
Oxygen is a Group VI non-metal so will need to gain two electrons to have a full outer shell of electrons
Two electrons will be transferred from the outer shell of the magnesium atom to the outer shell of the
oxygen atom
Oxygen atom will gain two electrons to form a negative ion with charge 2-
Magnesium oxide has no overall charge
MgO

Diagram showing the dot-and-cross diagram of magnesium oxide

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Examiner Tips and Tricks

When drawing dot and cross diagrams, you only need to show the outer shell of electrons. Your notes
Remember to draw square brackets and include a charge for each ion. Make sure the overall charge
is 0; you may need to include more than one positive or negative ion to ensure the positive and
negative charges cancel each other out.

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Properties of Ionic Compounds

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Properties of ionic compounds
Ionic compounds are usually solid at room temperature
They have high melting and boiling points
Ionic compounds are good conductors of electricity in the molten state or in solution
They are poor conductors in the solid state

Explaining the properties of ionic compounds

Extended tier only
Ionic compounds have high melting and boiling points
They have giant structures
There are strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions in all
directions
The forces need lots of energy to overcome them
Ionic compounds are poor conductors in the solid state
The ions are in fixed positions in the lattice
They are therefore unable to move and carry a charge
Ionic compounds are good conductors of electricity in the molten state or in solution
When the ionic compound is melted or dissolved in water, the ions are able to move and carry a
charge
The greater the charge on the ions, the stronger the electrostatic forces and the higher the melting
point will be
For example, magnesium oxide consists of Mg2+ and O2- so will have a higher melting point than
sodium chloride which contains the ions, Na+ and Cl-

Diagram to show the electrical conductivity of ionic compounds

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Your notes

Molten or aqueous ions move freely but cannot in solid form

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