What happens to the valence electrons in an ionic bond?
In an ionic bond, valence electrons are transferred from one atom to another. The atom that loses electrons becomes positively charged and is called a cation, while the atom that gains electrons becomes negatively charged and is called an anion. The valence electrons in the ionic bond are now localized on the anion, creating a stable electron configuration for both atoms.
In an ionic bond, electrons are transferred from one atom to another. This leads to the formation of cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions).
To understand what happens to the valence electrons in an ionic bond, let's use an example:
Consider the formation of an ionic bond between sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl).
Sodium (Na) has one valence electron in its outermost energy level, while chlorine (Cl) has seven valence electrons.
During the bonding process, sodium transfers its valence electron to chlorine. By doing so, sodium achieves a stable configuration with a full outermost energy level (2 electrons in the first energy level, and 8 electrons in the second energy level), forming a sodium cation Na+.
On the other hand, chlorine gains an electron from sodium to complete its outermost energy level (2 electrons in the first energy level, and 8 electrons in the second energy level), forming a chloride anion Cl-.
So, in this example, the valence electron from sodium is transferred to chlorine, leading to the formation of a positively charged sodium cation (Na+) and a negatively charged chloride anion (Cl-).
In general, the valence electrons involved in ionic bonding are transferred from the atom with a lower electronegativity (tendency to attract electrons) to the atom with a higher electronegativity. This electron transfer results in the formation of oppositely charged ions that are held together by electrostatic attractions, known as an ionic bond.