What holds ions together in an ionic compound?

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Multiple Choice

What holds ions together in an ionic compound?

Ionic compounds are held together by the electrical attraction between oppositely charged ions. In a solid such as table salt (NaCl), positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions attract each other in a repeating lattice, with the strength described by Coulomb’s law—the closer and more highly charged the ions, the stronger the attraction. This electrostatic bond is what keeps the ions arranged in a solid structure and gives ionic compounds their characteristic properties. Covalent sharing of electrons binds atoms within individual molecules, not the lattice of ions. Hydrogen bonding occurs between polar molecules and is much weaker than the ionic attraction. Metallic bonding involves a sea of delocalized electrons binding metal atoms together, which is a feature of metals rather than ionic compounds.

Ionic compounds are held together by the electrical attraction between oppositely charged ions. In a solid such as table salt (NaCl), positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions attract each other in a repeating lattice, with the strength described by Coulomb’s law—the closer and more highly charged the ions, the stronger the attraction. This electrostatic bond is what keeps the ions arranged in a solid structure and gives ionic compounds their characteristic properties.

Covalent sharing of electrons binds atoms within individual molecules, not the lattice of ions. Hydrogen bonding occurs between polar molecules and is much weaker than the ionic attraction. Metallic bonding involves a sea of delocalized electrons binding metal atoms together, which is a feature of metals rather than ionic compounds.

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