Ionic Bonds

Front

Valence Shell Noun

---

[vay-lence shel]

Back

Valence Shell

---

The outermost electron shell of an atom that contains the electrons involved in chemical bonding and determines chemical properties.

---

Example: This diagram of an oxygen atom shows its outermost electron shell, the valence shell, which has six electrons and determines how the atom forms bonds.

Front

Valence Electrons Noun

---

[vay-lence ih-lek-trons]

Back

Valence Electrons

---

The electrons located in the outermost shell of an atom, which participate in the formation of chemical bonds.

---

Example: This Bohr model of a Sodium atom shows its electrons arranged in shells. The single electron in the outermost shell is its valence electron.

Front

Core Electrons Noun

---

[kor ih-lek-trons]

Back

Core Electrons

---

The inner electrons of an atom that are not in the valence shell and are not typically involved in chemical bonding.

---

Example: This diagram shows an atom's electrons. The inner electrons (blue) are core electrons, while the single outer electron (red) is a valence electron.

Front

Octet Noun

---

[ok-tet]

Back

Octet

---

A stable configuration of eight valence electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom, resembling a noble gas.

---

Example: This diagram shows an oxygen atom with six electrons in its outer shell. To become stable, it needs to gain two more electrons to have a full octet of eight.

Front

Octet Rule Noun

---

[ok-tet rool]

Back

Octet Rule

---

A chemical principle stating that atoms tend to bond to achieve eight electrons in their valence shell for stability.

---

Example: This image shows sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) ions, each with a stable outer shell of eight electrons, which satisfies the octet rule.

Front

Ion Noun

---

[eye-on]

Back

Ion

---

An atom or molecule that has a net electrical charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

---

Example: A neutral sodium (Na) atom gives one electron to a neutral chlorine (Cl) atom, forming a positive sodium ion (Na+) and a negative chloride ion (Cl-).

Front

Cation Noun

---

[kat-eye-on]

Back

Cation

---

A positively charged ion that is formed when a neutral atom loses one or more of its valence electrons.

---

Example: A neutral sodium atom loses one electron from its outer shell, resulting in more protons than electrons and creating a positively charged ion (cation).

Front

Anion Noun

---

[an-eye-on]

Back

Anion

---

A negatively charged ion that is formed when a neutral atom gains one or more electrons to its valence shell.

---

Example: A neutral chlorine atom gains an electron, filling its outer shell and becoming a negatively charged chloride ion (an anion).

Front

Electron Dot Structure Noun

---

[ih-lek-tron dot struk-cher]

Back

Electron Dot Structure

---

A diagram that uses dots to represent the valence electrons of an atom, placed around the element's chemical symbol.

---

Example: This diagram shows how to draw electron dot structures for different elements, with dots representing the outer-shell (valence) electrons available for bonding.

Front

Electrostatic Attraction Noun

---

[ih-lek-tro-stat-ik uh-trak-shun]

Back

Electrostatic Attraction

---

The force of attraction between oppositely charged particles, such as the positive charge of a cation and negative anion.

---

Example: A positively charged sodium ion (Na⁺) and a negatively charged chloride ion (Cl⁻) pull towards each other due to an electrostatic force, forming an ionic bond.