Ionic compound

An ionic compound consists of positively and negatively charged ions held together by electrostatic attraction. Its formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of its ions, not usually a discrete molecule.

Ion: An atom or molecule with a net electric charge because it has gained or lost electrons. Ionic compounds are built from positively and negatively charged ions.
Ionic bonding: Chemical bonding arising from electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions. It names the attraction that binds the ions in an ionic compound.
Sodium chloride: An ionic compound composed of sodium cations and chloride anions in a one-to-one ratio. It is a familiar example of an ionic solid with a cubic crystal structure.
Covalent compound: A substance whose constituent atoms are joined primarily by shared electron pairs. Unlike typical ionic solids, covalent compounds often consist of discrete molecules.
Cation: A positively charged ion formed when an atom or molecule loses electrons. Cations supply the positive charge that must be balanced in an ionic formula.
Electron transfer: The movement of one or more electrons from one atom or species to another. Electron transfer can create the cations and anions that assemble into ionic compounds.
Electrolyte: A substance that produces mobile ions when molten or dissolved, allowing electrical conduction. Many ionic compounds act as electrolytes when their ions become mobile in solution or a melt.
Metallic bonding: Bonding in which metal atoms share delocalized valence electrons throughout a solid. Its mobile electrons, rather than oppositely charged ions alone, explain metallic conductivity.
Anion: A negatively charged ion formed when an atom or molecule gains electrons. Anions supply the negative charge that balances cations in the compound.
Lattice energy: The energy change associated with forming an ionic crystal from gaseous ions, or separating it into those ions. Lattice energy measures how strongly the ions are stabilized in the solid.

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