ionic bond: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	electrovalency • electrovalent bond • polar bond • heteropolar bond

Photos and Videos

Diagram showing the formation of an ionic bond between sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) atoms. Sodium loses an electron to become Na+, chlorine gains an electron to become Cl-, resulting in sodium chloride (NaCl), or table salt.

Diagram comparing four types of chemical bonds in crystalline solids: ionic bonds with alternating positive and negative ions in a grid, covalent bonds with shared electrons between carbon atoms in a tetrahedral structure, metallic bonds with positive metal ions surrounded by a cloud of electrons, and van der Waals bonds showing weak dipole attraction between neutral molecules. Each bond type is labeled and illustrated with explanatory text.

Diagram showing four types of crystal bonding: ionic bonding with sodium and chlorine ions, covalent bonding with carbon atoms sharing electrons, metallic bonding with iron ions surrounded by free electrons, and molecular bonding with hydrogen molecules held by weak electrical attraction.

How different solutions conduct electricity

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

ionic crystal ion ion pair ionic compound bond covalent bond metallic bond hydrogen bonding

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

crystal: Types of bonds