Is CaCl2 an ionic compound or molecule? plss help. i'm just a little bit confused.

I think most consider this an ionic compound. The electronegativity (EN) for Ca is about 1.0 while Cl is about 3 for a difference of 2.0. A 50% covalent/ionic character is about 1.8 or so; therefore, this is more than 50% ionic character and is considered ionic. In solution it dissolves and forms Ca^2+(aq) and 2Cl^-(aq) easily.

CaCl2 is an ionic compound. In an ionic compound, atoms of different elements are held together through ionic bonds, which involve the transfer of electrons from one atom to another. In the case of CaCl2, calcium (Ca) gives up two electrons to chlorine (Cl) atoms, forming two Ca2+ ions and two Cl- ions. These ions then attract each other due to opposite charges, resulting in the formation of CaCl2. This ionic bonding pattern is characteristic of ionic compounds.

CaCl2 is an ionic compound. To determine if a compound is ionic or molecular (covalent), we need to look at the types of elements involved and their electronegativity difference.

In the case of CaCl2, Ca represents calcium, which is a metal, and Cl represents chlorine, which is a non-metal. Metals tend to lose electrons, becoming positively charged ions, while non-metals tend to gain electrons, becoming negatively charged ions.

In CaCl2, calcium loses two electrons to form a Ca2+ ion, while chlorine gains one electron each to form two Cl- ions. These oppositely charged ions are held together by electrostatic forces of attraction, creating an ionic bond.

In contrast, molecules are formed when atoms share electrons in a covalent bond. In covalent compounds, the electronegativity difference between the elements is generally smaller.

So, in summary, since CaCl2 is formed by the transfer of electrons between a metal (Ca) and a non-metal (Cl), it is classified as an ionic compound.