Write down the type of bonding in sodium chloride.

Write down the type of bonding in sodium chloride.

• A. Hydrogen bond
• B. Covalent bond
• C. Ionic bond
• D. Metallic bond

Answer: (C)

You’re being asked to identify the bonding type in a compound formed from a metal and a nonmetal. In sodium chloride, sodium tends to lose one electron to reach a stable configuration, while chlorine tends to gain one electron to complete its shell. This electron transfer creates positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions. The strong electrostatic attraction between these oppositely charged ions binds the lattice together, which is the hallmark of an ionic bond. This explains why compounds like NaCl have high melting points and conduct electricity when melted or dissolved in water. Hydrogen bonds occur as intermolecular forces involving hydrogen bonded to highly electronegative atoms like oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine, not as the primary bond in a metal–nonmetal compound. Covalent bonds involve sharing electrons between atoms, which isn’t the case here since electrons are transferred rather than shared. Metallic bonds arise from a lattice of metal ions with a “sea” of delocalized electrons, which doesn’t describe an ionic compound like sodium chloride.

You’re being asked to identify the bonding type in a compound formed from a metal and a nonmetal. In sodium chloride, sodium tends to lose one electron to reach a stable configuration, while chlorine tends to gain one electron to complete its shell. This electron transfer creates positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions. The strong electrostatic attraction between these oppositely charged ions binds the lattice together, which is the hallmark of an ionic bond. This explains why compounds like NaCl have high melting points and conduct electricity when melted or dissolved in water.

Hydrogen bonds occur as intermolecular forces involving hydrogen bonded to highly electronegative atoms like oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine, not as the primary bond in a metal–nonmetal compound. Covalent bonds involve sharing electrons between atoms, which isn’t the case here since electrons are transferred rather than shared. Metallic bonds arise from a lattice of metal ions with a “sea” of delocalized electrons, which doesn’t describe an ionic compound like sodium chloride.