how is an ionic bond form with sodium chloride?

Question

aravindg · Answer

Answer this:

What is valency of sodium and chlorine?

anonymous · Answer

An ionic bond is formed when one electron is transferred from one atom to another. The atom with the lower electronegativity gives the electron away. In this case, the chlorine atom has the higher negativity, so it receives the electron from the sodium atom. Another way of looking at it is that chlorine has 7 electrons in it's outer shell, and sodium has 1. It would be easier for the sodium to lose one electron to the chlorine than it would be for the chlorine to lose seven to the sodium.

Anyways, the bond is formed because when the sodium gives it's one electron to the chlorine, it is turned into a cation (fancy word for an ion with a positive charge), while the chlorine gains the atom and then turns into an anion (negatively charged ion). Because of this, one as a negative charge and one has a positive charge, so the two attract each other.