hapter 7 Chemical Bond

Stability of Atoms
Noble gases (except He) have octet structure that give their atoms extra stability. As a result, noble gases exist as free
atoms instead of combining with other atoms.

argon atom (exist alone without

combining to any other atoms)

Light bulb filled with argon gas

Formation of Ions
Atoms of elements other than noble gases are usually not stable. However, they can become stable by obtaining the
same electronic arrangement of the nearest noble gases by gaining or losing electrons.
Example 1: Formation of sodium ion:

+
Loses 1
electron
Na Na

2,8,1 2, 8
sodium atom ( Na ) sodium ion ( Na+ )
No. of protons = 11 No. of protons = 11
No. of electrons = 11 No. of electrons = 10
Overall charge = 0 Overall charge = +1

Example 2: Formation of fluoride ion:

2,7 2,8
fluorine atom (F) fluoride ion ( F- )
No. of protons = 9 No. of protons = 9
No. of electrons = 9 No. of electrons = 10
Overall charge = 0 Overall charge = – 1

An ion is an atom (or group of atoms) that carries an overall electric charge.

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Types of Ions
Ions can be classified based on (1) charge carried and (2) the number of atoms that the ion is made from.
(1) charge:
 positively charged ion is called cation e.g. Na+, Al3+, Mg2+, NH4+
 negatively charged ion is called anion e.g. Cl-, O2-, SO42-

(2) no. of atom(s) that the ion is made from:

 ion made from 1 atom only is called monoatomic ion (or simple ion) e.g.
Na+, Al3+, Mg2+, Cl-, O2-
 ion made of 2 or more atoms is called polyatomic ion e.g.
NH4+, SO42-

Diagrams showing models of simple ions Diagrams showing models of polyatomic ions
(monoatomic ions)

Sulphate ion
(SO42-)

Note:
1. The electrical charge of the ion is indicated on the top right hand corner of its formula.
e.g. XY42- ion has a charge of [+/–]2
2. The subscript in the chemical formula shows the number of atoms of the element.
e.g. XY42- ion has __1__ atom of X and __4__ atoms of Y.
Class Practice
Q1. Classify the following chemical species by putting “ √” in appropriate boxes.
Positive ion Negative ion Simple ion Polyatomic ion

Ca 2 √ √
S2- √ √
PO43- √ √
2
Mg √ √
OH- √ √
K+ √ √
H2O

Q2. Atom X (with atomic number 29) loses 2 electrons to form an ion. Determine the charge of the ion of X.
[Hints: To work out the sign and size of charge carried by an ion, count its number of protons and electrons, then
sum up their charges.]
Answer: The ion of X has a charge of [+/–] 2

Q3. Atom Y (with atomic number 15) gains 3 electrons to form an ion. Determine the charge of the ion of Y.
Answer: The ion of X has a charge of [+/–] 3

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Class Practice For each of the following,
(i) complete the electron diagram (showing electrons in the outermost shell only) to show how ion is formed
from its atom
(ii) give the electronic arrangement of the atom and ion formed
[Hints: To work out the sign and size of charge carried by an ion, count its number of protons and electrons, then sum
up their charges.]
Electron diagrams to show the formation of ion from its atom
(showing the electrons in the outermost shell only)
1. Formation of potassium ion +
+
K lose 1 e- K

2,8,8,1 2,8,8
2. Formation of calcium ion 2+
2+
Ca lose 2e-
Ca
a
2,8,8,2 2,8,8
3. Formation of aluminium ion 3+
3+
Al lose 3e- Al

2,8,3 2,8
4. Formation of chloride ion 
–
Cl gain 1 e- Cl

2,8,7 2,8,8
5. Formation of oxide ion 2
2–
-
O gain 2 e O

2,6 2,8
6. Formation of nitride ion 3
3–
N gain 3 e- N

2,5 2,8
Note:
1. Atoms of metals tend to gain/lose electrons to obtain noble gas electronic arrangement and
form positively or negatively charged ions.
2. Atoms of non-metals tend to gain/lose electrons to obtain noble gas electronic arrangement and
form positively or negatively charged ions.
3. How is the charge of the ion formed related to the group number of the element?
Metal Charge of ion formed Non-metal Charge of ion formed
Group 1 +1 Group 5 –3
Group 2 +2 Group 6 –2
Group 3 +3 Group 7 –1
(Note: Most group 4 elements do not tend to gain nor lose electrons. They attain stability through other
means, which would be discussed in S4)
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Common Ions
Positive ion (Cation) Negative Ion (Anion)
Name formula Name formula
potassium ion K  fluoride ion F
sodium ion chloride ion Cl 
Ion of group I Na  Ion of group VII
Br 
element element bromide ion
I
iodide ion
magnesium ion  oxide ion 
Ion of group II Mg 2 Ion of group VI O

element calcium ion  element sulphide ion S
Ca 2
aluminium ion  nitride ion
Ion of group III Al 3 Ion of group V N 3
element element phosphide ion P 3
hydroxide ion OH 
nitrate ion NO3 
Polyatomic cation ammonium ion NH4 
Polyatomic anion SO4 
sulphate ion

carbonate ion CO3

Name of simple cation (positive ion): Use the name of the element
Name of simple anion (negative ion): End with “ide” for simple ion
Name of ionic compound: The cation is named first, followed by the anion. The word “ion” is
omitted.
e.g. NaCl sodium chloride
Na2O sodium oxide
NaOH sodium hydroxide

Class Practice: Part of the Periodic Table is provided as follows. Give the formulae and name of the ions formed from
the following elements.

Formula of ion Name of ion

+
Ion of rubidium (period 5, group I) Rb Rubidium ion
Ion of barium (period 6, group II) Ba2+ Barium ion
Ion of fluorine (period 2, group VII) F- Fluoride ion
3-
Ion of arsenic (period 4, group V) As Arsenide ion

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Chemical Bond
Noble gases exist as free atoms while in other elements and compounds, the atoms are held together. The forces which
hold the atoms together is called chemical bond.

Chemical bonds include:

1. ionic bond: exist in ionic compounds
2. covalent bond: exist in covalent substances (To be covered in S4)
3. metallic bond: exist in metals (To be covered in S4)

I. Ionic bond
Ionic Bonding Animated! | Lewis Dot Diagram and Octet Rule HD - YouTube
(i) Formation of Ionic Bond in Compound of Sodium and Chlorine
Atoms of metals tend to lose their outer-shell electrons to form positive ions (cations). This allows the atoms to get the
same electron arrangement as the nearest noble gas in the Periodic Table.

lose 1 e-
e.g. Na Na+ + e-
2,8,1 2,8

lose 1 e-
Na Na

Sodium atom Sodium ion

No. of protons = 11 No. of protons = 11
No. of electrons = 11 No. of electrons = 10
Overall charge = 0 Overall charge = +1

Atoms of non-metals tend to gain their outer-shell electrons to form negative ions (anions). This allows the atoms to
get the same electron arrangement as the nearest noble gas in the Periodic Table.

e.g. Cl + e-  Cl-
2,8,7 2,8,8

gain 1 e-
Cl Cl

Chlorine atom Chloride ion

No. of protons = 17 No. of protons = 17
No. of electrons = 17 No. of electrons = 18
Overall charge = 0 Overall charge = -1

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 Formation of Ionic Bond in Compound of Sodium and Chlorine
Metals tend to lose electron(s) while non-metals tend to gain electron(s). When sodium and chlorine react, the
electron released by the sodium atom is transferred to the chlorine atom. The compound sodium chloride is
formed.
Draw diagram to show the formation of sodium chloride from its atoms (showing electrons in the outermost
shells only):

XX + XX -
Na Cl X X
X X Na Cl
X X
XX XX

Chemical formula# of the compound formed: _____NaCl_____

[# Chemical formula is a representation used to describe the types of atoms and their numbers in an
element or compound using element symbols.]

 Metal tends to lose electron(s) while non-metal tends to gain electron(s). When metal and non-metal react,
electrons are transferred from metal to non-metal, resulting in formation of positively charged ions and
negatively charged ions. The compound formed consists of ions. Hence, the compound of this type is called
ionic compound.
 Ions of opposite charge attract one another. The strong electrostatic attractive forces between the oppositely
charged ions are called ionic bond

[Note: Electrostatic attractive forces refer to the attractions between opposite charges]

(ii) Formation of Ionic Bond in Compound of Calcium and Chlorine

Ionic Bonding of Calcium Chloride | GCSE Chemistry (9-1) | kayscience.com - YouTube
Draw diagram to show the formation of compound formed from calcium and chlorine (showing electrons in the
outermost shells only): -
XX
XX X
Cl
Cl X X X
X X 2+
XX
Ca XX Ca
XX -
XX
X Cl X
Cl X X
X X
XX XX

2+ XX -
OR:
X
Ca 2 X
Cl
X
XX

(a) Name the compound formed between calcium and chlorine. Calcium chloride
(b) Give the chemical formula of the compound formed. CaCl2
(c) State the ratio in which the ions exist in the compound. Ratio of Ca2+ ion to Cl- ion is 1 : 2

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[HOMEWORK]
(iii) Formation of Ionic Bond in Compound of Potassium and Oxygen
Draw diagram to show the formation of compound formed from potassium and oxygen (showing electrons in the
outermost shells only):
+
XX 2-
K
K XX X
O
X X
O
X + XX
XX
K K

c
+ XX 2-
OR:
O X
2 K X
XX

(a) Name the compound formed between potassium and oxygen. Potassium oxide
(b) Give the chemical formula of the compound formed. K2O
(c) State the ratio in which the ions exist in the compound. Ratio of K+ ion to O2- ion is 2 : 1

(iv) Formation of Ionic Bond in Compound of Sodium and Nitrogen

Draw diagram to show the formation of compound formed from sodium and nitrogen (showing electrons in the
outermost shells only):
+

Na
Na
X 3-
+
N X
Na Na X
X
XX
N X
X +
Na XX Na

OR:
+ X 3-

N X
3 Na X
XX

(a) Name the compound formed between sodium and nitrogen. Sodium nitride
(b) Give the chemical formula of the compound formed. Na3N
(c) State the ratio in which the ions exist in the compound. Ratio of Na+ ion to N3- ion is 3 : 1

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Electron diagrams of simple ionic compounds
Draw the electron diagrams for each of the following ionic compounds. In all cases, show only the electrons in the
outermost shells..
Compound Electron Diagram of Ionic Compound Chemical formula
[No need to show the process of formation from its atoms]
1. potassium chloride -
+ XX
Cl X
K X X NaCl
XX

2. magnesium fluoride -
2+ XX
Mg 2 F X
X X MgF2
XX

3. calcium oxide 2+ 2-
XX
Ca O X
X CaO
XX

4. potassium sulphide 2-
+ XX
S X
2 K X K2S
XX

5. aluminum oxide 2-
3+ XX
O X
2 Al 3 X Al2O3
XX

Steps for drawing electron diagram

1. State the symbol of the metal and non-metal respectively.
2. Recall their group numbers, hence work out the number of electrons to be lost or gained to obtain noble
gas electronic structure. Hence, represent the electrons in the outermost shell of the ions using symbol
 and .
3. State the charge of the ions formed on the top right hand corner.
For metal ion: positively charged.
For non-metal ion: negatively charged.
4. Deduce the ratio of the ions in the formulae so that the total positive charges balance that of negative
charges.

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Chemical formulae of ionic compounds
e.g. Give the formula of ionic compound formed by magnesium and chlorine.
Step 1 : State the formulae of ions present in the compound.
Mg2+ and Cl-
Step 2: Copy the numerical values of the charges as subscript of the other ion like below.
Step 3: Simplify the ratio of ions present.

Mg2+ Cl- MgCl2

Answer : MgCl2
e.g. Give the formula of calcium oxide.

Ca2+ O2- Ca2O2 CaO

Answer : CaO

?????
Write the formulae of the following compounds
1. magnesium oxide MgO
2. calcium nitride Ca2N3
3. potassium sulphide K2S
4. aluminium fluoride AlF3
5. lithium oxide Li2O
6. sodium fluoride NaF
7. magnesium sulphide MgS
8. aluminium oxide Al2O3
9. calcium chloride CaCl2
10. aluminium sulphide Al2S3

Name the following ionic compounds.

1. MgF2 Magnesium fluoride

2. Al2S3 Aluminium sulphide

3. Li2O Lithium oxide

4. Ca3N2 Calcium nitride

5. KCl Potassium chloride

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[Self-learning – watch the video by scanning the QR code]

Giant Ionic structure

Structure of NaCl Structure of NaCl

(space-fillling model) (Ball and stick model)

 Ionic compounds have giant ionic structure.

 Giant ionic structure refers to regular repeating arrangement of oppositely charged ions.
 Ionic bond refers to the forces of electrostatic attraction between the oppositely charged ions.

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