V.

Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 1

Topic V. Bonding in compounds Part 6

Reference Integrated Chemistry Today (2nd Ed.), L.H.M Chung, Book 1A, pg 78–87
Reading

Objectives 1.5.2.6 – 1. 5.2.12

– describe the formation of ions by the gain or loss of electrons to attain the nearest noble gas structure (for
elements in groups I, II, VI and VII in the Periodic Table)
– recognise that ions of opposite charges in ionic compounds are held together by electrostatic forces and such
linkage is known as ionic bonding
– recognise that an ionic solid exists as a giant lattice rather than as an ion pair
– draw electronic diagrams and name monatomic cations and anions
– deduce the formulae for binary ionic compounds with known cations and anions
– recognise that ionic compounds may be made of ions containing more than one element
– name and write the formulae of ions containing more than one element:
hydroxide, nitrate, nitrite, hydrogencarbonate, carbonate, sulphate, sulphite, phosphate, permanganate,
dichromate, silicate and ammonium
– recognise that an ionic solid exists as a giant lattice rather than as an ion pair
– predict the formulae of compounds when the group numbers of constituent elements are given

Notes 2. Giant ionic structure

Ionic bond in solid sodium chloride

In sodium chloride, the particles are held together by ionic bond, bonding between ions. A solid sodium chloride
crystal consists of numerous sodium ions (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) ions sticking together.

A sodium ion particle (Na+) contains 11 protons and 10 electrons, therefore it is positively charged.
Charges on sodium ion = charges carried by protons + charges carried by electrons = (+11) + (-10) = +1

A chloride ion particle (Cl-) contains 17 protons and 18 electrons, therefore it is negatively charged.
Charges on chloride ion = charges carried by protons + charges carried by electrons =(+17) + (-18) = -1

a) Electrostatic attraction between ions

Because sodium ion (Na+) and chloride ion (Cl-) are oppositely charged, they attract each other by electrostatic
attraction. If there are numerous sodium ions and chloride ions, they attract each other and form a very large
structure called giant ionic structure.

A single crystal of sodium chloride contains over 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 ions.

The sodium ions (Na+) and chloride ions (Cl-) are arranged regularly in the crystal forming a giant ionic lattice.
(Lattice means boxes with regular arrangement). In sodium chloride, the lattice formed is cubic in shape.
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 2

3. Electron transfer in ion formation

Reaction between sodium atom and chlorine atom

Sodium metal reacts with chlorine gas readily to form solid sodium chloride. i.e. sodium atom in metal reacts with
chlorine atom in chlorine by electron transfer.

There is 1 electron in the outermost shell of sodium atom and 7 electrons in the outermost shell of chlorine atom.
By losing 1 electron to chlorine atom, the outermost shell of the sodium ion will become completely filled.
Similarly, by gaining one electron from sodium atom, the outermost shell of the chloride ion will also become
completely filled.

The bracket and the charge is added for the ion in the electron diagram.

N.B. Since sodium ion is much more stable than sodium atom, actually no free sodium atom can be found in
the natural. All sodium metal used in the laboratory is obtained from electrolysis of molten sodium
chloride. The above example only shows how an ion is obtained if we start from an atom.

The electron transfer process may be represented as follow:

In a reaction, only the outermost shell electrons are involved, For simplicity, only the outermost shell electrons are
needed to be shown in the electron diagram.

or even more simple

V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 3

Reaction between magnesium atom and fluorine atom

Similarly, if a magnesium want to have a completely filled outermost shell, it will lose the 2 electrons in the
outermost shell. Because each fluorine atom accepts only 1 electron., the ratio of number of Mg atoms to F atoms
must be 1 to 2.

OR

N.B. Since the electronic configuration of Mg2+ ion (2,8) and F- ion (2, 8), they are known to be isoelectronic
to each other. (i.e. with the same electronic configuration).
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 4

4. Naming of ionic compound

Naming of an ionic compound is based on the name of the constituent ions in the compound. e.g. common salt is
composed of sodium ion Na+ and chloride ion Cl- (not chlorine atom Cl), it is called sodium chloride. Therefore, it
would be beneficial to understand the naming system of the ion first.

a) Naming of ion

Depending on the structure, ions can be divided into 2 categories - simple ion and polyatomic ion

Simple ion - charged atom is called simple ion (monatomic ion)

Polyatomic ion - charged molecule is called polyatomic ion. In the polyatomic ions, different atoms are joined
together by covalent bond.

Single
covalent bond

[ ] [ ]
2- -

Simple ion e.g. oxide ion, O2- Polyatomic ion e.g. hydroxide ion, OH-
no. of proton in O = 8 no. of proton in O + no. of proton in H = 8 + 1 = 9
no. of electron = 10 no. of electron = 10
Total charge = (+8) + (-10) = -2 Total charge = (+9) + (-10) = -1

Ions can also be classified according to the charges carried. A positively charged ion is called a cation and a
negatively charged ion is called an anion.

(1) Naming of simple ion

Naming of a simple ion is rather simple. A simple cation has the same name as the element. e.g. Na+ is called
sodium ion and Ca2+ is called calcium ion. If a single element is capable to form more than one kind of ion, a
Roman index is added to indicate the charge. e.g. Hg+ is called mercury(I) ion and Hg2+ is called mercury(II).

The name of a simple anion is also closely related to the name of the element. The name of ion is formed by
dropping the end of name of the element and replace it by suffix -ide. e.g. O2- is called oxide ion, H- is called
hydride ion and N3- is called nitride ion.

Simple cations Simple anions

H+ hydrogen ion H- hydride ion

Ag+ silver ion Cl- chloride ion
Pb2+ lead(II) ion O2- oxide ion
Mn2+ manganese(II) ion
Zn2+ zinc ion
Cr3+ chromium(III) ion
Cu+ copper(I) ion
Cu2+ copper(II) ion
Hg+ mercury(I) ion
Hg2+ mercury(II) ion
Fe2+ iron(II) ion
Fe3+ iron(III) ion

N.B. chlorine atom Cl is very different from chloride ion Cl-, they have totally different properties.
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 5

(2) Naming of polyatomic ion

Although the naming of polyatomic ion is more difficult, they follows certain pattern.

There is only one common polyatomic cation, ammonium ion (NH4+). Ammonium ion is formed when ammonia
molecule (NH3) react with hydrogen ion (H+). i.e. NH3 + H+ → NH4+

There is a lot of different polyatomic anions. The followings are some basic polyatomic ions, their name have to
be learnt by heart. The name of other polyatomic ions are derived from them.

Polyatomic cations Polyatomic anions

NH4+ ammonium ion OH- hydroxide ion

CN- cyanide ion
NO3- nitrate ion
MnO4- permanganate ion
ClO3- chlorate ion
SO42- sulphate ion
CO32- carbonate ion
Cr2O72- dichromate ion
PO43- phosphate ion

Very Important ! ! !
An oxygen containing polyatomic anion is usually ended with -ate or -ite.

The names of other polyatomic ions are derived by adding appropriate prefix or suffix to the basic name.

Meaning of some prefixes and suffixes Example

di- two dichromate ion, Cr2O72-

thio - replace O atom by S atom thiosulphate ion, S2O32-
hydrogen- H+ ion hydrogencarbonate ion, HCO3-

Oxygen containing compounds Example

per-ate O containing - even more O perchlorate ion, ClO4-

-ate O containing - more O chlorate ion, ClO3-
-ite O containing - less O chlorite ion, ClO2-
hypo-ite O containing - even less O hypochlorite ion, ClO-
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 6

Name of common cations and anions

Cation - Positive ion Anion - Negative ion

Charge Formula Name Charge Formula Name
Na+ sodium ion H- hydride ion
K+ potassium ion Cl- chloride ion
Cu+ copper(I) ion Br- bromide ion
Ag+ silver ion I- iodide ion
Hg+ mercury(I) ion OH- hydroxide ion
H+ hydrogen ion NO3- nitrate ion
1+ NH4+ ammonium ion 1- NO2- nitrite ion
HCO3- hydrogencarbonate ion
HSO4- hydrogensulphate ion
CN- cyanide ion
MnO4- permanganate
ClO4- perchlorate ion
ClO3- chlorate ion
ClO2- chlorite ion
ClO- hypochlorite ion

Mg2+ magnesium ion O2- oxide ion

Ca2+ calcium ion S2- sulphide ion
Ba2+ barium ion SO42- sulphate ion
Pb2+ lead(II) ion SO32- sulphite ion
Fe2+ iron(II) ion S2O32- thiosulphate ion
2+ Co2+ cobalt(II) ion 2- SiO3 2-
silicate ion
Ni2+ nickel(II) ion CO32- carbonate ion
Mn2+ manganese(II) ion CrO42- chromate ion
Cu2+ copper(II) ion Cr2O72- dichromate ion
Zn2+ zinc ion
Hg2+ mercury(II) ion

Al3+ aluminium ion N3- nitride ion

3+ Fe3+ iron(III) ion 3- P3- phosphide ion
Cr3+ chromium(III) ion PO43- phosphate ion
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 7

b) Formula

Formulas are frequently used in chemistry to represent a particle. Like equation, there are many different kind of
formulas depending on the usage.

Empirical formula - showing the simplest whole number ratio of atoms present (applicable to all kind of
compound).

e.g. sodium chloride (ionic compound) water (molecular compound) ethane (molecular compound)
NaCl H2O CH3

Ionic formula - showing the simplest whole number ratio of the ions present (applicable to ionic compound only)

e.g. sodium chloride (ionic compound)

Na+Cl-

Molecular formula - showing the acutal number of different atoms in a molecule (applicable to molecular
compound only)

e.g. water (molecular compound) ethane (molecular compound)

H2O C2H6

Structural formula - showing the connection of the atoms in a molecule (applicable to molecular compound only)

e.g. water (molecular compound) ethane (molecular compound)

H H
O H C C H
H H
H H

Besides the compound, a formula may also be used to represent the smallest unit of the compound. e.g. Na+Cl- (or
NaCl) may be used to represent the compound sodium chloride or a pair of Na+ ion and Cl- ion. The actual no. of
particles represented by a formula is also known as the formula unit of the compound.

Formula Macroscopic meaning - substance Microscopic meaning - formula unit

NaCl sodium chloride 1 sodium ion and 1 chloride ion

H2O water 1 molecule of water consists of 2 H and 1 oxygen atoms
C2H6 ethane gas 1 molecule of ethane consists of 2 C and 6 H atoms
Ag silver metal 1 atom of silver
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 8

c) Deduction of ionic formula of an ionic compound

All stable substances are electrically neutral. If a substance is not electrically neutral, it will attract another
substance towards it until the whole substance is electrically neutral.
Like ordinary substance, a stable ionic compound is also electrically neutral. The charges possessed by all the
cation must be the same as the charges possessed by all the anion.

For a stable compound, total positive charge ≡ total negative charge.

If there is 3 trillion cations with one positive charge M+, there must be another 3 trillion anions with one single
charge X-, or 1.5 trillion anions with two negative charge, or 1 trillion anions with three negative charge.

Instead of looking at the actual number of ions present, we may put the focus on the ratio instead. If the ionic
compound is formed between M+ and X3- the formula of the compound should be M+3X3- (ionic formula) or M3X
(empirical formula).

In sodium chloride, the ratio of the number of Na+ ion to Cl- ion must be 1 : 1.
Therefore, the formula of sodium chloride is
Na+Cl- (ionic formula) or NaCl (empirical formula)

In magnesium fluoride, the ratio of the number of Mg2+ ion to F- ion must be 1 :
2.
Therefore, the formula of magnesium fluoride is
MgF2
Mg2+F-2 (ionic formula) or MgF2 (empirical formula)

Examples of formulae of some ionic compounds

Compound Ionic formula Empirical formula

aluminium oxide Al3+2O2-3 Al2O3
potassium hydrogencarbonate K+HCO3- KHCO3
ammonium chloride NH4+Cl- NH4Cl

ammonium sulphate (NH4+)2SO42- (NH4)2SO4

aluminium sulphate Al3+2(SO42-)3 Al2(SO4)3
magnesium hydroxide Mg2+(OH-)2 Mg(OH)2

In the last three examples, bracket is used to prevent the confusion between the number of ions present and the
number of atoms in an ion.

(OH-)2 = 2 hydroxide ion (correct)

OH2- = a polyatomic ion consists of 1 oxygen, 2 hydrogen and 1 negative charge (wrong)

N.B. Bracket is used only if there is more than one polyatomic ion of the same kind. e.g. in ammonium
chloride NH4+Cl-, bracket is not used because there is only 1 ammonium ion and 1 chloride ion.

Glossary crystal electrostatic attraction giant ionic structure lattice giant ionic lattice bracket
isoelectronic simple ion (monatomic ion) polyatomic ion cation anion formula
ionic compound molecular compound empirical formula ionic formula molecular formula
structural formula formula unit

Past Paper
Questions

90 2
D 2 A cation of a certain element has 22 electrons and a mass
number of 55. If the charge on the cation is +3, the number
of neutrons in the cation is
A. 19.
B. 23.
C. 25.
D. 30.
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 9
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 10
91 4
A 4 Which of the following groups of ions/atoms has the same
number of electrons ?
A. K+, Ca2+
B. Cl-, S
C. H+, He
D. O2-, Ar
92 3
C 3 Which of the following electron diagrams is correct ?

A.

B.

C.
D.

93 1
D 1 Which of the following pairs of atoms/ions has the same
number of electrons ?
A. Mg2+ and F
B. Cl- and Ne
C. K+ and O2-
D. Cl- and S2-

94 36
A 36 X, Y and Z are three different elements. The electronic
diagram (showing electrons in the outermost shells only) of
the compound formed by X, Y and Z is shown below :

Which of the following statements are correct ?

(1) There is one electron in the outermost shell of an atom
of X.
(2) There are five electrons in the outermost shell of an
atom of Y.
(3) There are eight electrons in the outermost shell of an
atom of Z.
A. (1) and (2) only
B. (1) and (3) only
C. (2) and (3) only
D. (1), (2) and (3)
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 11
95 2
D 2 The electronic structure of a compound formed between an
element X and chlorine is shown below.

(Only electrons in the outermost shells are shown.)

What would be the formula of the compound formed
between X and magnesium ?
A. MgX
B. MgX2
C. Mg2X3
D. Mg3X2

95 34
A 34 Which of the following particles is/are present in a
hydrogen ion ?
(1) proton
(2) neutron
(3) electron
A. (1) only
B. (2) only
C. (1) and (3) only
D. (2) and (3) only

96 2
B 2 Which of the following can represent the electronic
structure of potassium sulphide ?
A.
B.

C.

D.

96 3
A 3 The mass number of atom X is 27. X forms a cation with a
charge of +3. If the number of neutrons in the cation is 14,
what is the number of electrons in the cation ?
A. 10
B. 13
C. 14
D. 17

97 2
B 2 Elements X and Y form a compound having the following
electronic structure:

(Only outermost shell electrons are shown.)

Which of the following combinations is correct ?
X Y
A. Na S
B. Mg Br
C. Al Cl
D. Si O
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 12
97 5
B 5 Which of the following diagrams best represents a part of
the giant lattice of sodium chloride crystal ?
(In these diagrams, • represents Na+ ion and o represents
Cl- ion.)

98 18
B 18 Which of the following ions has the same number of
protons as the hydroxide ion, OH-?
A. O2-
B. F-
C. Na+
D. Mg2+

98 45
A 45 Element X (atomic number 11) reacts with element Y Each atom of X loses one electron and each atom of Y
(atomic number 16) to form an ionic compound accepts two electrons to form a compound with formula
X2Y.

99 4
B 4 Element X and element Y belong to the first three periods
of the Periodic Table. The compound formed between these
two elements has the following electronic structure:

(Only outermost shell electrons are shown.)

How many electrons are there in the outermost shell of an
atom of X and that of Y ?
X Y
A. 1 3
B. 1 5
C. 2 8
D. 3 5
V. Bonding in compounds Part 6 Page 13
99 5
D 5 Consider the information concerning particle X and particle
Y listed below:
Particle Number of Number of Number of
protons electrons neutrons
X 16 16 18
Y 16 18 18
Which of the following statements is correct ?
A. X and Y are atoms of the same element.
B. X and Y are atoms of different elements.
C. X is a cation of Y.
D. Y is an anion of X.

99 19
B 19 Ionic compound X has the formula AB2, where A and B
represent the cation and anion respectively. If both A and B
have the same electronic arrangement, X may be
A. potassium sulphide.
B. magnesium fluoride.
C. silicon dioxide.
D. calcium bromide.