ionic bonding??

Question

can somebody please explain ionic bonding to me?

Answer 1

'A Person' gives a short, simple, and correct answer.

It is simply when two atoms (ions [thus the name]) join to form a compound. One ion is + the other -.

Get an "A".

Answer 2

In ionic bonding one atom gives up some of its electrons entirely to the other atom.
K + F = KF = (K+) + ( F-)
The potassium has donated its electron to the fluorine becoming positively charged in the process.
The fluorine has accepted the electron and become negatively charged.
We call them Ions.

The bond between them is of an electrostatic type and when millions of atoms take part in the reaction they form a gas in which each ion is free to wander about - as long as it obeys the laws of mechanics and elecrostatics overall.

However at room temperature KF is not a gas so it condenses into a solid. The ions of K and F being electrically charged settle into a nice crystal form with alternating ions.
This process is highly exothermic and is the source of the heat energy when potassium burns in fluorine.
This solid tends to have the similar physical properties as all other ionic compounds and these properties are summarized in Chemistry Books.

We can again liberate them, by adding water. This weakens the effective charges by a factor of 80 (the di-electric constant of water) and the K and F ions are free to migrate and act as a 'gas'
in the water.

If we try to heat the KF solid, we get a liquid in which the ions can again move around, and further heating will turn the salt back into a gas and will produce a few atoms where the electron exchange reverses. The reaction is reversible.

Note that the bond is not a 'hard and fast' one - not until the material condenses into a crystal.

Answer 3

That is when one atom gives another atom a valence electron