...that is stable with an extra electron. When sodium chloride is dissolved in water does the sodium regain it's electron and will have just as many electrons as protons and floats freely. If so, where does the "shared pairs of electrons" come in?
2007-01-17 04:51:42 · 2 answers · asked by Lisa 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
When sodium gives up an electron to bond with chlorine, it forms the compound sodium chloride. Since the sodium ion has a +1 charge (1 more proton than electron) and the chloride ion has a -1 charge (1 extra electron), the overall compound has a charge of 0 and is stable.
The sodium and the chloride are NOT sharing the electron. It is entirely transferred from the sodium to the chloride. An ionic bond (as in NaCl) is more of an attraction between the two oppositely charged ions. When NaCl is dissolved, the two ions break apart into Na(+1) and Cl(-1) in the water, but THEY ARE STILL IONS, they do not "regain" their original 0 charge. The polarity (or slight charge) of the water molecules makes this ionic state the most stable.
With a covalent bond, two atoms "share" an electron, sort of like a game of "tug of war". If the atoms are equally electronegative, meaning they both attract the electron the same amount, then the bond is nonpolar, and the "tug of war" is completely even. Usually, however, there is a slight difference in electronegativity, so one atom exerts a stronger pull on the shared electron and the electron spends more time on that side of the bond. You could see an ionic bond as the strongest version of a polar bond, where one atom hogs the electron all too itself, because of a huge difference in electronegativity (which it is!). I hope that makes sense. You sound a bit confused.
2007-01-17 05:42:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It remains ionically bonded to the chlorine.
2007-01-17 04:56:44 · answer #2 · answered by gebobs 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋