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Atoms undergo chemical reactions because some electron configurations are more stable than others, specifically, a full outer shell is more stable than an incomplete outer shell. Outer shells can be filled either by gaining electrons or by giving up electrons (if an atom loses all the electrons in its outer shell, then a previously inner shell becomes the new outer shell). So, some atoms find it easier to give up electrons, if they just need to give up a few, and some atoms find it easier to gain electrons, if they just need to gain a few. So, these two kinds are made for each other, in effect. For example, sodium likes to give up an electron and chlorine likes to gain an electron, so if sodium gives an electron to chlorine, both atoms gain a stable electron configuration. In so doing, sodium get a charge of plus one and chlorine gets a charge of minus one (because the electron has a charge of minus one). And then they have opposite electrical charges and they therefore attract each other, hence, they are both ions and they are ionically bonded to each other.

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14y ago
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9y ago

When electrons are transferred from one atom to another it is referred to as ionic bonding. Oppositely charged ions are attracted to each other which is the basis of ionic bonding.

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13y ago

the attraction of metal ions to mobile electrons

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11y ago
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Q: What is the basis of a metallic bond?
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