Why does Na want to bond with Cl?

Answer 1

Sodium needs to lose an electron to have a full outer shell of electrons. When sodium loses one negatively charged electron it is left with a positive charge plus 1. Chlorine needs to gain one electron to have a full outer shell of electrons. When chlorine gains a negatively charge electron it has a charge of minus 1. The sodium ion plus one is attracted to the chloride ion minus one and they bond.

Na does not "want" to bond with Cl, but it has a "tendency" to bond with Cl. Atoms are more stable if all of their shells of electrons are complete. The easiest way for Na to achieve this to is to release one electron and the easiest way for Cl to achieve this is to take an additional electron from the environment. Therefore, Na will naturally pass an electron to Cl. The resulting shift makes the Na positive and makes the Cl negative. These opposite charges exert a strong attractive force on the now-stable atoms, creating an ionic bond.

Answer 2

Sodium (Na) wants to bond with chlorine (Cl) because sodium has one electron in its outer shell, while chlorine has seven. By forming an ionic bond, sodium can donate its electron to chlorine, resulting in both atoms achieving a stable electron configuration. This creates a more stable compound known as sodium chloride (NaCl), or table salt.