A bond between sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) is what type of bond?
a
Hydrogen
b
Ionic
c
Covalent
d
Metallic
b Ionic
The bond between sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) is an ionic bond.
A bond between sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) is an ionic bond. To determine the type of bond, we need to consider the electronegativity difference between the two elements. Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons in a chemical bond.
In the case of sodium and chlorine, sodium has a lower electronegativity than chlorine. Sodium has an electronegativity of 0.93, while chlorine has an electronegativity of 3.16. This significant difference in electronegativity means that chlorine has a much stronger tendency to attract electrons towards itself compared to sodium.
In an ionic bond, one atom loses electrons (becoming a positively charged ion or cation) while the other atom gains those electrons (becoming a negatively charged ion or anion). In this case, sodium loses an electron to become a positively charged sodium ion (Na+), while chlorine gains that electron to become a negatively charged chloride ion (Cl-).
The opposite charges of the sodium and chloride ions attract each other, resulting in the formation of an ionic bond between them. Therefore, the correct answer is b) Ionic.