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It is not a mixture; it is a compound. It is what's called an ionic compound, because the sodium atoms lose their 1 valence electron and the chlorine atoms pick up that electron to fill their outer energy level, giving them 8 valence electrons instead of 7 (7 is their normal number of valence electrons.)

The sodium atoms now have one less electron than protons, so they form a +1 ion and the chlorine atoms have one more electron than proton, so they form -1 ions. Since the ions have opposite charges, they are attracted to each other and form NaCl, or sodium chloride (table salt).

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12y ago

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