Chemistry

A chemical bond in which one atom gives up an electron to another, forming two ions of opposite charge, and thus generating an electrical force that holds the atoms together. The atoms are thus held together by the attractive force between a positively and a negatively charged ion.

An ionic bond is typically formed between a metal and a non-metal.

A bond between two elements caused by a difference in charge created by the donation of an electron by one of the atoms to another.

Atoms that have only one or very few electrons in their valence shell are very vulnerable to losing them. If another atom comes along with lots of electrons in it's valence shell, but not quite enough to be complete, the other atom's lonely old electron will get snatched away to join the shell with lots of electrons, and make a complete electron shell. When this happens though, a discrepancy in charge is created. The atom that now has the extra electron it's not supposed to have has a more negative charge, and the atom that got its electron stolen has a more positive charge. As you know, opposites attract, and in this case they attract so strongly that they two atoms become bonded to together.

For example, what happens if you have Na(sodium) and S(sulfur) during an ionic bonding. Here is a simple way to figure it out. Sodium has one electron in the outside electron shell and sulfur has two empty "spaces." So, if sodium(metal) give sulfur(non-metal) the one electron, but sulfur has one space left so another sodium comes along and that sodium gives its electron to sulfur. Thus, sulfur has no spaces. The chemical formula is Na2S because Sodium was used twice.